TEHRAN- About 500 kilometers of freeways will be inaugurated throughout Iran by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2019), Transport Minister Mohammad Eslami announced on Saturday, IRNA reported.

Two months ago, Iran’s Deputy Transport Minister Kheirollah Khademi had announced that more than 12,000 kilometers of roads and railways were under construction throughout the country.

Khademi, who is also the managing director of Iran’s Construction and Development of Transportation Infrastructures Company (CDTIC), put the length of under construction railways at 3,197 kilometers, that of freeways at 1,167 kilometers and the figure for the highways and main roads at 7,800 kilometers.

He mentioned railway development as one of the main priorities of the government and said: “Construction of 5,200 kilometers of railway is currently under study.”

He has previously announced that road account for 90 percent while railway account for 10 percent of transportation in Iran.

MA/MA