TEHRAN- The head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (known as RAI) said that the current government pays special attention to the transportation diplomacy in the railway sector.

Miad Salehi said, “Last year, thanks to the grace of God, we broke the record of rail transit, the record of exports from rail borders and the total number of international transports in the history of railways.”

Stating that the development of railway lines is on the agenda in the current government, the head of the railways said: “Part of the requirements of railway development is the updating of equipment and special attention to the employees, and we are trying to take greater steps in these fields in the second year of the government.”

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 country’s National Development Plan.

In this regard, the national railway fleet has been constantly receiving new domestically-made locomotives and wagons over the past two years under the framework of a program implemented by the Transport Ministry in collaboration with the country’s private sector.

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

When it comes to railway development, the renovation of existing infrastructures comes also under the spotlight, since according to RAI, currently, the average age of the country’s passenger and freight wagons stands at 24 years and there are also rail tracks that have been built over 50 years ago.

MA/MA