TEHRAN- Iranian railway fleet received 65 new domestically-made locomotives and wagons in a ceremony on Tuesday, the third group of additions this year.

As reported by the portal of Transport Ministry, the ceremony was attended by Transport Minister Mohammad Eslami and Head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (known as RAI) Saeed Rasouli.

Speaking in the ceremony, Rasouli said that with the new additions, so far, a total of 209 wagons and locomotives have joined the country’s railway fleet in the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 20).

The value of the third group of locomotives and wagons, which were manufactured by domestic companies, was estimated to be over 1.56 trillion rials (about $37.14 million).

According to the official, the number of new locomotives and wagons added to the railway fleet in the first three months of the current calendar year (March 20-June 20) has increased by 78 percent compared to the same period last year.

The new additions included 53 freight wagons, two passenger wagons, and two locomotives, as well as eight reconstructed wagons.

Railway fleet has received three groups of new wagons and locomotives since the beginning of the current Iranian year, the first of which was on April 29 when 56 units worth 1.25 trillion rials (about $29.76 million) were added to the country's rail fleet; in the second phase, 30 units worth 1.44 trillion rials (about $34.28 million) were added on May 19.

Meanwhile, in late December 2019, RAI celebrated the addition of 243 domestically-made wagons and locomotives to the country’s fleet.

Valued at 3.4 trillion rials (about $80.9 million), the mentioned wagons and locomotives were made by three different companies namely, Wagon Pars, Iranian Rail Industries Development Company, and Foolad Derakhshan Arak Company.

Back in September 2019, another 213 domestically-made wagons and locomotives had been added to the country’s fleet.

EF/MA