TEHRAN- Over 3,410 kilometers of railways are under construction throughout Iran, Deputy Transport Minister Kheirollah Khademi told IRNA on Sunday.

The official also announced that construction of 5,000 kilometers of railways is under study.
Iran’s Construction and Development of Transportation Infrastructures Company (CDTIC) managed to build 516 kilometers of railroads in the country during the past Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20), he added.
Khademi, who is also the managing director of CDTIC, has previously announced that 10 railway stations were inaugurated in the country during the past calendar year.
He put the cost of constructing those stations at over 350 billion rials (about $83.33 million).
“Some other stations are under construction at the moment which we hope will be complete by the end of the first half of this calendar year (September 21)”, the official added.
Attraction of foreign investment and technology to the projects for development of Iranian railway is one of the objectives of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (known as RAI).
On May 29, Maziyar Yazdani, the deputy head of RAI for infrastructure and technical affairs, said that none of the European companies that are cooperating with Iran in railway infrastructure projects have so far reacted to the U.S. decision for leaving the nuclear deal and they are still continuing their cooperation with the RAI.
“We have replacements for all foreign companies in case of withdrawal under pressures from the U.S. sanctions”, he added.

MA/MA