Tehran, Iran, July 1
By Milad Fashtami - Trend:
Two consortiums consisting of Iranian and Chinese companies will launch a railway electrification system for Tehran-Mash'hal railway.
Iran's MAPNA Group and China's CMC and SUPOWER companies will be in charge of the project, Iran's IRNA News Agency reported on June 30.
The project will come on stream in 42 months.
Tehran-Mash'hal railway is 900 kilometers long.
MAPNa and the Chinese firms have reportedly signed an EPCF (engineering, Procurement, Construction, Finance) contract, based on which Chinese companies will finance the project.
Chinese companies have shown great interest in Iran's railway projects.
It was announced on April 22 that a Chinese firm will finance Iran's Qom-Isfahan high speed railway project.
Asqar Fakhr-Kashani, and advisor to Iran's Roads and Urban Development minister, said that the Chinese firm will also participate in the construction of the project.
He went on to note that if the ministry is not satisfied with the Chinese company's performance, it can replace the company with other firms.
Iran's IRNA news agency also quoted Ardebil governor general Majid Khodabakhsh on April 7 as saying that a Chinese firm will invest $1 billion in the construction of Ardebil-Mianeh railroad, northwest of Iran.
The project needs to build some 23 kilometers length of tunnels and five kilometers length of bridges, he added.
Two other Chinese companies have been selected to build a number of railway projects in Iran.
The chairman of the city council of Iran's holy city of Qom, Seyed Mohammad Atashzar, announced March 17 that China's Norinco Company has been selected to build monorail and subway projects.
At the same time an announcement was made that CITIC will also build a tram project, Iran's Donya-e-Eqtesad newspaper reported on March 18.
China's CITIC Company signed a memorandum of understanding with the municipality of Tabriz, the provincial capital of Iran's East Azerbaijan province.
Norinco has announced its readiness to sign an $834 million deal to implementing a subway and tramway project.
China has so far built about one thousand subway cars for Tehran's subway system. Moreover, it has established the Line No. 3 of the Tehran subway.
Edited by CN