TEHRAN – Iranian Transport and Urban Development Minister Mohammad Eslami inaugurated 89 rail industry projects worth 2.77 trillion rials (about $65.9 million) on Monday on the occasion of the Transport Week, IRNA reported.

Inaugurated in a virtual ceremony, the projects include 12 projects in the field of technology and infrastructure worth 2.21 trillion rials (about $52.6 million), and 77 projects in the field of building and station services worth 565 billion rials (about $13 million).

The inauguration ceremony was also attended by the Head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (known as RAI) Saeed Rasouli.

Back in November, Deputy Transport Minister Kheirollah Khademi said some 3956 kilometers of roads and railways worth 240 trillion rials (about $5.7 billion) were going to be inaugurated throughout the country by the end of the Iranian calendar year 1400 (March 2022).

According to Khademi, over 3400 km of new railways are under construction across the country, of which eight projects with a length of 1560 km are the Transport Ministry’s priority.

The development of the railway sector is one of the macro policies of the Iranian government as it has been emphasized by the general policies of the Sixth Five-Year National Development Plan (2016-2021).

Advantages such as consuming less fuel and creating less pollution as well as high safety attaches priority to the railway when compared to some other transportation systems, and makes its development economically viable.

In this regard, in addition to infrastructure projects, RAI has also been implementing new programs for replacing old wagons and locomotives with new ones to reduce the age of the country’s fleet.

As reported, some 521 units of various types of wagons and locomotives worth 13.5 trillion rials (about $322.8 million) have been produced in the country and joined the national railway fleet since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (March 19).

EF/MA

Photo: Transport and Urban Development Minister Mohammad Eslami (L) and RAI Head Saeed Rasouli attend the inauguration ceremony of rail projects in Tehran on Monday.