MNA � Iran�s Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Akhoundi said that Tehran-Bandar Abbas railway project would be electrified, costing $3 billion dollars.







Once the aforementioned railway project is put into operation, the country will witness a giant development in rail transport industry, he maintained.

Speaking in an expert-level meeting in the presence of members of Parliament Industries and Mines Commission, held in the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways, he added, �the speed of passenger and freight trains stands at between 160 and 65-70 km per hour respectively. Once this rail line is electrified, speed of trains will increase up by 200 km at large.�

With the development of mines in the country in the next 10 years, freight capacity in railway sector will increase up by 200 million tons, he emphasized.

About 30.2 billion tons of cargo per kilometer was transported via rail network in the country in the past year (ended March 20, 2018), so that less fuel was consumed in this respect which is much more economical than the transit of cargoes via road.

Rail transit depreciation is negligible as compared to the road network, Akhoundi highlighted.

The volume of transit around metropolitans hit seven billion trips per annum, one billion of which is done via vehicles in Tehran urban and suburban areas, he opined.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he pointed to Chabahar-Zahedan rail line project and said, �despite many shortfalls and bottlenecks facing ahead, construction operation of this giant project is underway.�

He put the current physical progress of this railway project at more than 50%.

It is expected that this project will be financed through international resources, the roads minister concluded.