TEHRAN- The Iranian railway fleet received 685 new domestically-made or renovated wagons and locomotives worth 33.58 trillion rials (about $67.7 million), in a ceremony on Monday.

The ceremony, held on the occasion of the Islamic Revolution’s 45th anniversary, was attended by senior officials including Transport Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash and Head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (known as RAI) Miad Salehi, the portal of the Transport Ministry reported.

The mentioned wagons and locomotives include 645 freight wagons, 10 new locomotives, five renovated locomotives, two new passenger wagons, and 23 renovated passenger wagons, all manufactured and renovated by domestic companies.

The number of locomotives and wagons added to the country’s railway fleet since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2023) has reached 1,031.

The development of the railway sector has been one of the macro policies of the Iranian government as it has been emphasized by the general policies of the country’s national development plans.

In this regard, the national railway fleet has constantly received new domestically-made locomotives and wagons in the past and current Iranian calendar years.

Last year, a total of 1,660 wagons and locomotives were added to the country’s railway fleet in four stages.

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 make its development economically viable.

EF/MA