| Rail transport inIran | |
|---|---|
 Iran railway 2020 | |
| Operation | |
| National railway | Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (RAI) |
| Major operators | RAI, Tooka rail, Samand rail |
| Statistics | |
| Ridership | 21 million |
| Passenger km | 13 billion |
| Freight | 31 million tonnes |
| System length | |
| Total | 12,998 kilometres (8,077 mi) |
| Double track | 1426 km |
| Electrified | 146 km |
| Track gauge | |
| Main | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
| Electrification | |
| Main | 25 kV 50 Hz AC |
| Features | |
| No. tunnels | 105 |
| Tunnel length | 120 km |
| Longest tunnel | 3000 m |
| No. bridges | 350 |
| Longest bridge | 750 m |
| No. stations | 360 |
| Highest elevation | 2500 m |
| Lowest elevation | -20 m |
| Part of a series on |
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Iran has a state-owned railway system built tostandard gauge (1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in)) which falls under the remit of theMinistry of Roads & Urban Development. The primary rail carrier is theIslamic Republic of Iran Railways (abbreviated asIRIR, or sometimes asRAI, or asIRI Railway) which is the national state-ownedrailway system ofIran
In 2008, the IR operated 11,106 km of rail with a further 18,900 km in various stages of development.[1] Almost all of this isstandard gauge of1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in), but 94 km areRussian gauge of1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) to link up to ex-Soviet Unionborder states. There is also the no-longer-isolatedIndian gauge section of1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) fromZahedan to the Pakistan border that continues toQuetta and the Indian sub-continent. The extent ofdouble-track lines is 1,082 km. The Jolfa–Tabriz line is electrified (148 km). In 2006, IR reported that it possessed 565 engines, 1,192 passenger coaches, and 16,330 wagons. The vast majority of the engines arediesel-powered.
In 1886, during the time ofNasser-al-Din Shah, an 8.7 km1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)metre gaugehorse-drivensuburban railway was established south of Tehran, which was later converted tosteam. This line was closed in 1952. The First Iranian railway was set up in 1887 betweenMahmudabad andAmol; its construction was completely private. However it was not used because of several problems.[2][3] TheTabriz–Jolfa line (146 km) was built in 1914, theSufiyan–Sharafkhaneh line (53 km) in 1916, and theMirjaveh–Zahedan line (93 km) in 1920.
The 1,392 km (865 mi) longTrans-Iranian Railway fromBandar Shah on theCaspian Sea toBandar Shahpur on thePersian Gulf was opened during the reign ofReza Shah Pahlavi in 1938. The railroad was built with rail weighing 33 kilograms per metre (67 lb/yd) and required more than 3000 bridges. There were 126tunnels in theZagros mountains, the longest of which was 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi). Grades averaged 1.5 percent south of Tehran, but then increased to 2.8 percent to cross the 2,220-metre (7,270 ft) pass between Tehran and the Caspian Sea.
After theAnglo-Soviet invasion of Iran in 1941, thisPersian Corridor became one of the supply routes for war material for theSoviet Union duringWorld War II (Railway trend in Iran). The invading British built a 121-kilometre (75 mi) branch line from the 2,953-foot (900 m) bridge over the Karun River inAhvaz to a new southern port at Khorramshahr on theArvand Rud river. In 1943, 3,473 American soldiers of the Military Railway Service began running trains between the Persian Gulf and Caspian Sea usingALCO RS-1locomotives rebuilt with 3-axletrucks and designatedRSD-1.[4] The Americans set up headquarters in Ahvaz, but were unable to tolerate the daytime heat, and generally operated the railway at night.[5] The Persian Gulf Command ran trains day and night.[6]
TheTrans-Iranian railway traverses many mountain ranges, and is full ofspirals and 1 in 36 (2.78%)ruling grades. Much of the terrain was unmapped when construction took place, and its geology unknown. Several stretches of line, including tunnels, were built through unsuitable geology, and had to be replaced before the line opened. For example
The railways have undergone extensions including the 1977 linking to the western railway system at theTurkish border, the 1993 opening of theBandar Abbas line providing better access to the sea, and the 1996 opening of theMashad–Sarakhs extension as part of theSilk Road railway to link to thelandlockedCentral Asian Countries.
In December 2014, a rail line from Iran opened toTurkmenistan andKazakhstan. The opening of the line marks the first direct rail link between Iran, Kazakhstan and China, and upon completion of theMarmaray rail project direct rail transport between China and Europe (while avoiding Russia) will be possible.[7]
Iran Railways uses a variety of rolling stock for their services. Trains are operated withdiesel andelectric locomotives.Steam locomotives have been phased out. Diesel is a strategic industry, and by using this heavy oil as a fuel instead of gas for locomotives, the Islamic Republic of Iran has joined the 12 world countries which manufacture this type of engine.[23]
TheIslamic Republic of Iran Railways is the national state-ownedrailway system ofIran. TheRaja Passenger Train Company is an associate of the IR,[24] and manages its passenger trains. TheRailway Transportation Company is an associate of the IR, which manages its freight transport. TheMinistry of Roads & Urban Development is the state agency that oversees the IRIR. Some 33 million tonnes of goods and 29 million passengers are transported annually by the rail transportation network, accounting for 9 percent and 11 percent of all transportation in Iran, respectively (2011).[25]In 2008, the IR operated 11,106 km of rail with a further 18,900 km in various stages of development.[26] Almost all of this isstandard gauge of1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in), but 94 km areRussian gauge of1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) to link up to ex-Soviet Unionborder states. There is also the no-longer-isolatedIndian gauge section of1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) fromZahedan to the Pakistan border that continues toQuetta and the Indian sub-continent. The extent ofdouble-track lines is 1,082 km. The Jolfa–Tabriz line is electrified (148 km). In 2006, IR reported that it possessed 565 engines, 1,192 passenger coaches, and 16,330 wagons. The vast majority of the engines arediesel-powered.
The majority oftransportation in Iran is road-based. The government plans to transport 3.5% of the passenger volume and 8.5% of the freight volume by rail. Extensive electrification is planned. The railway network expands by about 500 km per year according to the Ministry of R&T. According to plan, Iran's railway lines are to reach 15,000 kilometers by 2015 and 25,000 kilometers by the year 2025.[27][28] The State Railways Company has 300 locomotives with an average lifespan of 40 years.[29] The Islamic Republic of Iran Railways, the Iran Power Plant Projects Management (Mapna) and Germany'sSiemens have signed a contract for 150IranRunner locomotives for passenger trains. Siemens is committed to exporting to Iran some 30 locomotives in the first phase, and to manufacturing another 120 using domestic capacities and expertise over the next 6 years (2007).MLC (Mapna Locomotive Engineering and Manufacturing Company) is the manufacturing company responsible for this production. Another locomotive manufacturer in Iran isWagon Pars which buildsAD43C locomotives in partnership with Iranian power plant makerDESA diesel.[30] In 2009, €17 billion inforeign investment in the rail industry has been secured, according to theMinistry of Road and Transportation of Iran.[31]
The railway network converges on Tehran. TheIranian cities ofIsfahan andShiraz were linked to Tehran in 2009. Further extension of this line toBushehr and Bandar Abbas is planned. Furthermore, the construction ofChabahar-Zahedan-Mashhad railway, extending from southeast to northeast of the country to the length of 1,350 kilometers, started in 2010 with 3 billion euro credit.[32] The western railway extension links to Turkey at theRāzī–Kapıköy border. There is a northern connection toAzerbaijan, theCaucasus, and Russia has abogie-changing station at the border atJolfa. The southern routes connect Tehran to the Persian Gulf ports ofBandar Imam andBandar Abbas. A line to the Caspian Sea ends at the terminal ofAmir Abad and atBandar Torkaman, and is part of a north–south corridor to Russia andScandinavia. The north-east corridor connectsMashhad and continues further to the bogie-changing station atSarakhs. For thelandlocked countries ofTurkmenistan,Uzbekistan,Tajikistan,Kyrgyzstan, andKazakhstan this line provides access to the sea. A recent connection from Mashhad toBafq has significantly shortened access to the port city of Bandar Abbas. Tehran-Mashhad with a length of 900 kilometers,Tehran-Qom-Esfahan with a length of 410 kilometers (under construction), Qazvin-Rasht-Anzali-Astara with a length of 370 kilometers; will all be built with help from China at a cost of $12 billion.[citation needed] In total, Iran has signed a number of contracts with China for the development of 5,000 kilometres of railway lines.[28]
The north–south railway is complete betweenBandar-e Anzali andBandar Abbas; the line was initially expected to be completed as far asAzerbaijan by the end of 2016.[33]Qazvin toAstara was the missing link in theNorth-South Transportation Corridor, which links India, Iran,Azerbaijan, Russia and Finland. Qazvin-Rasht railway was completed in 2018 and Rasht-Anzali in 2023 whilst Anzali-Astara railway needs another four years to be completed.[34]
Iran's first rail link to the outside world appeared simultaneously with the beginning of the country's railway system, as Iran's first major railway (1916) connectedTabriz with Jolfa on the border with theRussian Empire. The link continued its importance throughout the USSR era; Iran and theUSSR signed an agreement on cross-border rail transport in 1940, and amended it in 1958.[35] It is reported that during the late-Soviet era, some 350 railcars crossed the border atJolfa daily, with the annual amount of cross-border freight reaching 3.5 million tons.[36] However, after thebreakup of the USSR and the closing of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan the Jolfa connection became a dead end, as it only links Iran with the isolatedNakhichevan exclave of theRepublic of Azerbaijan.[37] In 2007, Iranian Railways,Azerbaijan State Railway andRussian Railways agreed on implementing the project to build a new line betweenQazvin,Resht,Astara, Iran andAstara, Azerbaijan. In April 2017, Russia and India celebrated 70 years of diplomatic relations and vowed to complete theNorth-South Transportation Corridor (NSTC) with the help of Iran. The NSTC reduces time and cost of travel by 30-40%.[38][circular reference]There is presently no direct railway connection between Iran and Armenia, even though the two countries share a border. In 2009, Iran and Armenia agreed to build a railway linking Armenia with Iran'sPersian Gulf ports.[39]
In 1996,Mashhad–Sarakhs extension connected Iran toTurkmenistan, as part of theSilk Road railway to link to the landlocked Central Asian Countries. Former states of theSoviet Union have railways using a1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in)Russian gauge, thus the Iranian Railways maintainbreak-of-gauge services at borders to Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, and beyond brief wide-track rail segments to the border crossing. TheKazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway link is a part of theNorth-South Transport Corridor and is a 677 km (421 mi)long railway line connecting theCentral Asian countries ofKazakhstan andTurkmenistan withIran and thePersian Gulf. It will linkUzen in Kazakhstan withBereket -Etrek in Turkmenistan and end atGorgan in Iran's Golestan province. In Iran, the railway will be linked to national network making its way to the ports of the Persian Gulf. The project is estimated to cost $620m which is being jointly funded by the governments of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran.[40]
Feasibility studies were started onKhorramshahr-Basra andKermanshah-Baghdad links withIraq.[41] As of 2014[update], the Iranian line toKhorramshahr was finished,[42] but construction had not started on the track from the Iraqi border toBasra.[citation needed] In 2017, the West Corridor known locally asRahahane Gharb was expanded fromArak toMalayer andKermanshah. The Iranian government plans on expanding the network further toKhosravi (Iran-Iraq) border. China Civil Engineering Construction Corp is building the Malayer-Khosravi corridor, which will eventually run to the border with Iraq. On 27 December 2021, Iran and Iraq agreed to build a railway connecting both countries.The project would connect Basra in southern Iraq to Shalamcheh in western Iran. There are only around 30 kilometers (18 miles) between the two areas. The railway would be strategically important for Iran, linking the country to the Mediterranean Sea via Iraq and Syria's railways.[43][44]
Mashhad-Khvaf-Afghanistan's Border-Islam Qala railway is being constructed by an Iranian firm, with funding from the Afghan government, but the section in Afghanistan remains incomplete.[45][46][47] On 10 December 2020, the first rail link between Iran and Afghanistan onKhaf -Herat route betweenKhaf and Rahzanak in Afghanistan for a distance of 140 km (87 mi) was formally inaugurated although traffic had started on 12 December 2002 with a 500 tonnes test train cement delivery from Iran.[48] The works on remaining 85 km (53 mi) section of the project between Rahzanak andHerat is in progress. The works on both sides are done as development assistance toAfghanistan byIran.[49] The newKhaf - Rahzanak rail line continues fromKhaf toTorbat-e Heydarieh where it links withMashhad -Bafq railway line a crucial rail link opened in 2009 which connects port city,Bandar Abbas inPersian Gulf with north eastern city ofMashhad and from there withTurkmenistan throughSarakhs.[50][51]
In 1977, the Iranian railways linked to the western railway system at theTurkish border. The route to the west into Turkey terminates atVan with a 90 km (56 mi)train ferry for bothfreight wagons and international passenger traffic (baggage car only) acrossLake Van, which is at an altitude of 1,650 m (5,413 ft), toTatvan where it joins theTurkish standard-gauge network.
The construction of the railway fromBam toZahedan was completed in early 2009 connecting Tehran to Pakistan border with an openingceremony on 19 July 2009.[52] However internationalcontainer traffic commenced operations on 14 August 2009 withtransshipment (ortransloading) between1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) and1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge wagons in the Zahedan Exchange Yard on the bypass line.[53] The freight traffic was discontinued however after the initial trial trains, and was only revived in 2015.[54] Iranian Railways have been trying to persuadePakistan Railways toconvert its route toQuetta to standard gauge, in order to facilitate the flow of international traffic to Europe. Pakistan responded in 2006 with a statement that it is to convert its network to standard gauge, and would plan a link with the standard gauge system of China. A through passenger service is being considered[53][55] to supplement the occasionalQuetta-Zahedan service, itself a poor shadow of the former Pakistan-Iran 'Taftan Express'.
Afghanistan-open-1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge.
Armenia-no link-break-of-gauge1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in).
Azerbaijan-open-break-of-gauge1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in)-only via the Azerbaijani exclaveNakhchivan; a railway link to Azerbaijan proper is being built.
Iraq-no link-1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge.
Pakistan-open-break-of-gauge1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in).
Turkey-open-1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge.
Turkmenistan-open-break-of-gauge.1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in).Althoughrailway electrification in Iran was started in 1975, it was halted for almost 30 years. A contract for electrification of the Tehran-Mashhaddouble-track line and the supply of 70 electric locomotives was awarded in 2009.[56] Speeds of up to 200 km/h for locomotive-hauled passenger trains and 250 km/h for tiltingEMUs are expected to reduce existing journey times of 7.5 to 12 to less than 5 hours.
Local Rail, also referred to as Suburban Rail or Commuter rail when originating from a large city and covering its suburbs, is a class of rail services, usingrailbus-type trains, running a distance of about 50 km to 200 km, and serving all stations.[57] Currently[when?] there are the following services:
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Currently there is one high speed railway line under construction betweenTehran andIsfahan passing throughQom. The length of the line is 410 km; completion is planned for 2025.
Construction of another high speed rail line betweenQom andArak is under way as well.[58]
Passenger Trains Operating Company, RAJA, is a joint stock company affiliated to Islamic Republic of Iran's Railway Company (RAI). It was established in October 1996 as a part of RAI restructuring process, aimed at separating passenger and freight train operations management from infrastructure maintenance and development.
Iran has reportedly completed two-thirds of a 190-kilometer rail bed from its town of Khaf to link with Herat.
'The great project of Khaf-Herat railway - operation of which has also been commenced - will create a significant development in transit and connecting Afghanistan with regional and extra-regional (Europe) countries. Its connection to the railway of Central Asia, Turkey and Europe via Iran and also its connection to Iran's nationwide railways network - which will stretch from Bandar Abbas to Afghanistan - can play an important role in economic growth and development of Afghanistan,' the foreign ministry official said.
