TEHRAN -- Iran has a vast railway network capable of meeting the transit needs of the neighboring countries, said an official at the Roads and Transportation Ministry here yesterday. Deputy Minister of Roads and Transportation for construction and development of the railway network, Sadeq Afshar, made the above statement in an interview with the TEHRAN TIMES. He added that Iran is connected to Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan via the Sarakhs railway in the north of the country and the Jolfa railway.

"There are various corridors in the country through which we can meet the transportation needs of the neighboring countries," Afshar explained. He went on to say that, given the construction of the Bafq-Bandar Abbas and Mashhad-Sarakhs railway networks, the northern countries can have railway contacts with the European and south-east Asian countries via a short route. Touching on the most important executive plans of the railways, Afshar said that the project to connect the railway network of Pakistan and south-east Asian countries to that of Europe via Iran is being implemented.

The deputy minister added that the Bafq-Mashhad railway, which will connect the regional railway networks together and shorten the transit routes of the northern countries to other world countries, is one of the most important plans. "Through its impleme Afshar continued to say that last year, 50 million tons of goods were imported, exported and transited via the Bafq-Bandar Abbas railway network.

Turning to the Mashhad-Sarakhs railway, the deputy minister emphasized that in the first seven months of the current Iranian year, the country earned 17 million dollars through the transit of goods via this route. "With the establishment of the Iran Pars Wagon Factory, we have taken effective steps in the direction of manufacturing locomotives and wagons inside the country," Afshar said.