China to help Iran in railroad projects

Iran and China will cooperate in the construction projects of eight railroads with a total length of about 5,000 kilometers in the Islamic Republic.

Managing director of the company for construction and expansion of transportation infrastructures of Iran said on Saturday that Tehran and Beijing signed several agreements last month to collaborate in railroad projects in Iran, Fars news agency reported.

Massoud Rahnama noted that the two countries have agreed to construct about 5,000 kilometers of railroads, and also cooperate in transfer of railroad construction technology and building related factories.

He further said that Iran-China Railroad Office has been set up to facilitate the implementation of the projects.

Rahnama named the eight railroads, which will be constructed with collaboration of China: Tehran-Mashhad with a length of 900 kilometers, Tehran-Qom-Esfahan with a length of 410 kilometers, Qazvin-Rasht-Anzali-Astara with a length of 370 kilometers.

Other projects include: Arak-Kermanshah-Khosravi with a length of 569 kilometers, Chabahar-Zahedan-Mashhad with a length of 1,340 kilometers, Gorgan-Bojnourd-Mashhad with a length of 646 kilometers, Tehran-Hamedan-Sanandaj with a length of 408 kilometers and Sari-Rasht with a length of 366 kilometers.

The Iranian official said that it is estimated that the said projects would cost about $12 billion.

Earlier in December, Managing Director of the Railways of the Islamic Republic of Iran Abdolali Saheb-Mohammadi said Tehran is negotiating with Beijing on an express rail line project that is to run from the Iranian capital to the northeastern city of Mashhad.