BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov. 24
By Elnur Baghishov – Trend:
The construction of railway lines in the North-South and East-West railway corridors is currently on the agenda of Iran, Minister of Roads and Urban Development of Iran Mohammad Eslami said, Trend reports citing the ministry.
He made the remark in an event dedicated to the launch of 70 railway vehicles in Iran.
The minister emphasized that one of these railway lines is the Chabahar-Zahedan railway line. This railway line will be put into operation in stages by the end of next Iranian year (from March 21, 2021, to March 21, 2022).
Eslami added that in general, Iran’s four province railway lines will be connected to the Iranian railway network by the end of the next Iranian year.
“In this context, the Khaf-Herat international railway line will be launched by the end of the 8th month of the current Iranian year (November 21 through December 20, 2020). This railway line will create a special opportunity for Iran and Afghanistan,” he said.
The construction of the 720-kilometer Chabahar-Zahedan railway began in 2010. In 2014, the construction of this railway was accelerated by changing the contractor. So far, 17 trillion rials (about $404 million) has been spent on the construction of this railway, and it is estimated that 40 trillion rials (about $952 million) will be required to complete the project. After commissioning, 100 million tons of cargo will be transported by railway a year.
About 300 million euros have been allocated by the National Development Fund of Iran for the construction of the Chabahar-Zahedan railway.
The total length of the Khaf-Herat railway is 218 kilometers and is divided into four parts. The 3 parts of the railway line are ready for operation. The 4th part of the railway line of which covers the areas from Rozanak to Herat in Afghanistan is being laid by Afghanistan.