Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.18
By Leman Zeynalova, Elnur Baghishov – Trend:
It is necessary to increase the role of railways in transportation in Iran, said Mohammad Eslami, Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development.
He was making the remarks during the meeting held as part of the Transport Week in Iran, Trend reports citing Mizan news agency.
The minister noted that new railway lines, which are under construction in Iran’s Gilan and East Azerbaijan provinces will be commissioned soon.
Iranian Ministry of Roads and Urban Development intends to increase the volume of goods transported via railways from 50 million tons to 100 million tons per year, according to Eslami.
He pointed out that the ministry will connect the railways of Iran and neighboring countries.
One of the steps taken by the Iranian Ministry of Roads and Urban Development in the railway sector is the connection of the large production facilities to the country’s railway network, according to Eslami.
He noted that the ministry will allocate subsidies to private railway companies for buying cars from local manufacturers.
Further, the minister said that the revenues and expenditures of railway companies in passenger transportation do not coincide. A working group has been created at the Cabinet of Ministers to discuss the ticket price for railway transportation.
He noted that Iranian Railways will extend the existing contracts with local rail manufacturers and also sign new contracts with them to buy rails.