Iran

Iran building rail links to Iraq and Afghanistan

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

Network expansion is in full swing is an article about the Iranian rail network in the January 2009 issue of Railway Gazette International.

The author is railway consultant David Brice, who has worked on transport projects in Afghanistan, including at the Hayratan terminal.

Work is currently well in hand on extension of RAI’s Torbat – Sangan iron ore line across the border to Herat in Afghanistan (RG 1.08 p55). Whilst perhaps not a major development in terms of generating traffic, this line certainly has major political implications. Largely financed by the Iranian government, it will constitute the first major standard-gauge line in Afghanistan.

A further extension to Sher Khan Bandar serving the northeast of Afghanistan is currently under investigation, and on November 23 2008 the Asian Development Bank announced that a protocol had been signed highlighting the importance of developing rail links from Herat through Mazar-i-Sharif as far as the current Uzbekistan Railways railhead at Hayratan, reached by a 1 520 mm gauge line from Termez. The Afghan government has requested technical and financial assistance from ADB for a pre-feasibility study.

A proposed extension of this route beyond Sher Khan Bandar along the Wakhan Corridor, albeit through challenging terrain, could complete a direct connection from Iran to the rapidly expanding Chinese rail network, creating a standard-gauge through route between Europe and China.
[…]

Iran – Iraq. Two links to Iraq are in hand, one from Khorramshahr to the port of Basra, and the other from Arak via Kermanshah to the Iraqi border at Kosrayi. This will cater for substantial flows of pilgrimage traffic once the political situation has normalised.

Source: Railway Gazette International

Afghan and Turkey – Iran – Pakistan rail links discussed

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

The 2nd Meeting of Railway Committee of TTCC

(The ECO Secretariat, Tehran, 12 December, 2008)

The 2nd Meeting of Railway Committee of TTCC was held at the ECO Secretariat on 12 December, 2008. Delegations of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan participated in the Meeting. Delegations from the People’s Republic of China and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) also attended the Meeting.

The Meeting discussed cooperation between the ECO and UNECE on implementation of railway-related articles of Transit Transport Framework Agreement (TTFA) and important UNECE agreements. Those included the European Agreement on Important International Transport Links and Related Installations (AGTC) and the European Agreement on the Main International Railway Links (AGC). Possibilities of participation of the ECO in Phase II of the Euro-Asian Transport Links (EATL) Project were also considered.

The meeting discussed three important projects for improving the regional railway network in the ECO region. These included upgrading the capacity of Sarakhs Station in Iran, improving the Quetta–Taftan Railway in Pakistan and constructing railway bypass around Van Lake in Turkey.

In order to materialize operation of the ECO Container Train on Istanbul-Tehran-Islamabad route, the Meeting requested Iran, Pakistan and Turkey to expedite holding a High Level Expert Group Meeting and a Meeting of the concerned Ministers to decide on technical, operational and other aspects of this important initiative. It was hoped that a demonstration train from Islamabad to Istanbul would be launched in 2009.

The Meeting considered ways to have the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Afghanistan connected to the ECO regional railway routes. The said member states would prepare detailed reports on the proposed routes, technical requirement, and expected cargo volumes.

The Meeting worked out the procedures for publishing ECO Railway Transit Routes Maps and the updated Railway Network Map.
Source: Economic Cooperation Organization press release, 2008-12-12

Uzbek and Iranian railways’ Afghanistan plans

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

The website of Uzbek national railway UTY has a news story about the recent agreement with Islamic Republic of Iran Railways. Google’s translation from Russian gives:

30-10-2008 October 28, TG

Tehran had a meeting and talks executive director of Iranian railways, Hassan Ziyari with the chairman of the board GAZHK Uzbekistan Temir YULLARI Achilbaem Ramatovym.

At the meeting the parties focused on specific issues expand bilateral cooperation in rail transport. In particular, the parties agreed on the establishment of private transport companies, which will transit rail transport, and joint investments in rail transport corridor project, which will link the railways of Iran and Uzbekistan through Afghanistan.
Source: UTY

Iran’s Press TV gives more details:

Iran, Uzbekistan sign railway pact

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 23:30:25 GMT

Iran and Uzbekistan have signed a nine-article cooperation pact on railway cooperation after holding a two-day meeting in Tehran.

The agreement was finalized between the managing directors of the national railway companies of Iran and Uzbekistan Thursday.

The pact includes initiating a container train transit route between Almaty, Tashkent, and Istanbul, launching a container train route between Tashkent and Bandar Abbas, a 25 percent discount to be granted to Iran for using Uzbek carriages, the passage of Iranian railroad cars through the Uzbek network and settling outstanding accounts between Iran-Uzbekistan railways

[…]

“Establishing private transit transportation companies and joint investments in launching railway networks among Iran, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan will allow Uzbekistan access to the Persian Gulf waterway,” Ziyari added.

[…]

Read in full at Press TV

While looking for more information, I came across Helmut Uttenthaler’s Trains in Uzbekistan blog.

Iran – Afghanistan – Uzbekistan discussions

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

Iran’s Fars news agency reports

Iran, Uzbekistan to Expand Railway Cooperation

News number: 8708080931 14:39 | 2008-10-29

TEHRAN (FNA)- Managing Director of the Islamic Republic Railways Hassan Ziari said in a meeting with his Uzbek counterpart that cooperation between the two countries will further expand in the field.

According to a report by the Public Relations Department of the entity, he referred to the significance of railway link between the two states and said that development of railway network between Iran, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan will facilitate Uzbekistan’s access to the Persian Gulf waters.

Rahmatov, for his part said that his country is keen to promote cooperation with Iran in the field, the Islamic republic news agency reported.

The two officials met on Tuesday to review development of railway cooperation.
Source: Fars

Herat line 60% complete, more railways planned

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

Quqnoos reports on the construction of the line from Iran to Herat.

Railway to Iran nears end of the tracks

Written by Zabiullah Jhanmal
Sunday, 19 October 2008 10:32

Ministry hopes to have the railway finished by the end of the year

A new railway linking Iran with the western Afghan city of Herat is 60% complete, the Ministry of Public Affairs said.

The Khawaf-Herat railway, built by the government of Iran, is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

The ministry said it planned to build more railway lines to meet the demand for transportation links between Afghanistan and its neighbours, who use Afghanistan as a transit route for goods travelling to other parts of the region.

The ministry says rail transport is five times cheaper than transporting goods by road.

But one kilometer of railway built in Afghanistan costs about $2 million, the ministry said, and a planned railway between Herat and Tajikistan will cost about $4 billion.

Deputy minister for public affaris, Ahmad Wali Rasooli, said: “After the completion of road constructions throughout the country, and with the increase of transported goods, we are now turning our attention to railroads.

“Now there is a real need for the construction of rail-roads in the country. We plan to connect our borders with our neighboring countries via rail.”

The ministry said the construction of railways between Afghansitan and its neighbours would speed up the flow of goods across the country’s borders.
Source: Quqnoos

Tajikistan to Iran via Afghanistan

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

According to Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an agreement is finalised this year for the construction of rail link from Tajikistan to Iran through Afghanistan, presumably using the Herat – Iran railway on which work is now underway.

Minister Spantas press conference in Kabul

30/08/2008 Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in a press conference here in Kabul […] talked about the recent trip of a high level Afghan delegation under the chairmanship of president Karzai to Tajikistan to take part in the summit of the shanghai cooperation group there.
[…]
In the sidelines of this summit the heads of states of Afghanistan, Iran and Tajikistan met to discus in details the issues of transit, and trade between the their countries.

In this meeting its was decided that till the end of the current year the text of the agreement in the bases of which the transfer of water and energy to Iran via Afghanistan, and also construction of a railway track from Tajikistan via Afghanistan to Iran that will link Tajikistan and Afghanistan to the Persian gulf will be completed, also the work between the experts of the these countries will soon start to establish a TV station, also honoring the birth anniversary of the famous Dari poet Abu Abdullah Rodake in Herat, and also celebrating the Nawroz festival in Mazar-i-sharif in the month of Hamal were discussed.

In a respond to a question that how Afghanistan can benefit from its transit role in this region? Dr. Spanta said, Afghanistan is a landlocked country we must search proper ways to find a solution for our problems and based on the principles of our government we don’t want to be limited in our ties in the region.

Afghan railway mentioned in UK parliamentary answer

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

House of Commons, Written Answers 21 November 2007

International Development
Afghanistan: Railways

Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what railway construction projects are (a) planned and (b) under way in Afghanistan.

Mr. Malik: Many bulk commodities are brought by rail to Afghanistan’s borders and then transported by truck around the country. In early 2006 Afghanistan began work on a railway project connecting Hirat [Herat] city to the Iranian border at Sangan. 60 per cent. of the project is funded by the Iranian Government. Discussion is under way on constructing lengthier railways in Afghanistan. However, there needs to be a very careful economic cost-benefit analysis of any major railway investments to ascertain whether this is the best use of investment resources as compared with other priority investments.

The Government of Afghanistan plan to focus on improving roads and airports as priority areas of transport over the next five to 10 years, as outlined in the draft Afghanistan National Development Strategy (AMDS) transport sector plan. Railhead transfer stations at the borders are likely to be improved so that the cost of changing freight from trains to trucks is lowered, thus lowering the cost of Afghanistan’s international trade.

Sangan in Iran’s Khorasan province is the terminus of a 148 km branch from Torbate-Heydariyeh.

Iran – Herat railway 40% finished

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

The railway line under construction to provide a link between the Iranian network and Herat in Afghanistan is progressing, according to Hamid Behbahani, Iran’s Deputy Minister of Roads & Transportation, in a report by the Fars news agency:

Railroad to Link Pakistan to Europe via Iran
15:14 | 2008-05-14

[…The Bam-Zahedan line is to be completed by March 2009, …]

The construction of the railroad between Khaf in northeastern Iran and Herrat in western Afghanistan is making progress, he said, adding 60 percent of the Iranian side and 40 percent of the Afghan’s side are completed.

Upon completion of the project, Afghanistan will have a railroad link to Europe via Iran, Behbahani said.

This line starts at Khaf in Iran, then heads slightly south and then east across the border through arid and rugged terrain., reported the January 2008 issue of Railway Gazette International. The new line will be 191 km long, of which 77 km is on the Iranian side of the border and 114 km within Afghanistan.

Iran – Herat railway project

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

“Construction of a 191 km railway from Iran to Herat in Afghanistan, with the prospect of an extension across Afghan territory to Sher Khan Bandar, promises to stimulate trade with Central Asia.” reports Murray Hughes in the January 2008 issue of Railway Gazette International.

The current scheme was launched when a Memorandum of Understanding was signed in June 2002 between the Iranian Transport Ministry and the Ministry of Public Utility in Kabul. The project was costed at US$28m and construction was split into four lots, two in Iran, and two in Afghanistan; work officially began in Iran on July 29 2006.
…
It is from the penultimate loop at Khaf that the single-track line to Herat begins.

From Khaf the route heads slightly south and then east across the border through arid and rugged terrain. Total length of the new line is 191 km, of which 77 km is located in Iran and 114 km in Afghanistan. Of the 10 intermediate stations envisaged, Ghurian will be the largest intermediate town served by the section on Afghan territory.

…

Preliminary investigations have been made for an extension from Herat that would run for no less than 700 km across northwestern Afghanistan to Meymaneh, Sheberghan and Sher Khan Bandar on the border with Tadzhikistan. This route would also offer the opportunity to connect with the 1 524 mm gauge line that crosses the Uzbekistan frontier near Termez, penetrating as far as Hariatan. This line is now handling trains nearly every day, mainly carrying petroleum products, machinery, building materials and agricultural produce.

You can read the full article on the Railway Gazette International website.

Iran’s Torbat-e Heydariyeh to Khaf (and one day Herat) line on TV

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

YouTube has this video from 1 March 2007, “3 TV News Reports on New Iran Railroad to Afghanistan”, about the opening of the Torbat-e Heydariyeh – Khaf railway within Iran, and a 200 km extension now under construction towards Herat in Afghanistan.

For those of us who don’t speak Persian(?), there is a translation here. Mr Mohammadizadeh, governor-general of the Province of Khorasan-e Razavi, says:

Construction work began on this railroad in the year 2002. It is 148 kilometers long. It has eight stations and cost about 50 billion tomans, fortunately it went into operation today [1 March 2007].

The primary objective in creating this line is to haul iron ore, with an annual load of about .52 million tons.

…

More important is that the vital artery for the economic development of our nation with the friend and brother nation of Afghanistan will travel by way of this very railroad.

About 6 months ago inside Afghanistan the ground was broken for the Afghanistan railroad by our president of the republic’s first vice-president and today also the ground was broken for the line from Sangan to Harat inside Afghanistan.

The credits for ths project have been procured, and for the first time the culture of the railroad is coming into the friend and brother nation of Afghanistan and the nation of Afghanistan will have a train and a railroad.

It appears that the conditions that exist in Afghanistan in terms of reconstruction and the needed goods in the outside world, this railroad can be effective achieving economic development and the social welfare of the people of Afghanistan.

It can therefore be said in short that this project has great importance for the iron ore of Khaf, for the use of the people in several cities along the route and especially for establishing a railroad for government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the people of Afghanistan.
…

The line that goes into operation today is 148 kilometers long, but the work is beginning on a line into Afghanistan with about 50 kilometers inside our country and about 150 kilometers inside Afghanistan. This year about 45 billion tomans have been allocated for the new line, and we are hoping that this task will be completed in the year 2007.