The Iranian government’s decision to double the railway wagon

The Iranian government’s decision to double the railway wagon budget for 2008-09 has provided a much-needed boost to the pace of development.

Government policy is to encourage more travel within the country, and passenger tariffs are heavily subsidised. This is generating substantial demand for travel, which the railway is currently unable to meet. Demand is estimated at 90 million journeys a year, but the present timetable only offers capacity for 25 million journeys - less than 30% of demand. To tackle this RAI and its passenger subsidiary Raja Trains are striving to increase capacity by about 15% a year.

Network development is continuing apace, with the intention of connecting all major cities to the network as soon as possible. The ultimate objective is to double the length of the network, which currently stands at 8 300 route-km. The average distance between the main cities is around 600 km, making rail ideal for inter-city flows of both passenger and freight traffic.

But while the government is financing rapid development of the national railway, much of the expansion seems to be happening independently from the operation of the network. For example, the opening of new lines is increasing traffic on existing routes which have not been upgraded to cope. In particular, there is a shortage of locos and rolling stock, as investment in the fleet has not kept pace with the growth of the network.

RAI’s overall expenditure budget needs to be rebalanced to increase spending on the existing lines of railway freight wagon , focusing on areas such as better management control and information systems, business planning and recruitment; there is also a need for more recruitment and staff training in areas such as management methods and operational safety. Unless addressed, these issues could inhibit the overall pace of railway development.

Double-tracking plans

RAI’s network is predominantly single-track, which limits traffic flows on several of the busiest routes. The problem is exacerbated by inadequate signalling, which further limits the number of trains that can be handled.

At present only a few lines around Tehran and the trunk routes from the capital to Mashhad and Qom are double track, but a programme for further double-tracking is being drawn up.

The most important route requiring double track is the 613 km line between Bafgh and the Gulf port of Bandar Abbas. The port is developing rapidly, but it is located far away from the principal areas of industrial activity and Iran’s main traffic centres.

When the line opened in 1995, the formation, including tunnels and bridges, had been built to take two tracks, and work to lay the second track is now urgently in hand.

Double tracking is also being examined for the east - west route between the iron ore mines east of Yazd and the Esfahan steelworks. A particular bottle­neck is the Maybod - Yazd section where the ore traffic uses the main line from Tehran to Bandar Abbas of railway wagons. Double-tracking is also being considered for the section from Yazd to Bafgh.

The Andimeshk - Dorud section of the Qom - Arak - Khorramshahr line has been heavily congested for some time, but geographical conditions rule out track doubling. Resignalling is in hand to act as a palliative, but long-term relief will only come when a direct line is built from Esfahan to Ahvaz, where the recent completion of a bypass has helped to cut congestion.

Electrification and resignalling

RAI intends to pursue electrification of its main routes where feasible, and an invitation for bids to electrify the busy Tehran - Mashhad route has recently been issued. In the meantime the line is to benefit from signalling improvements as it suffers from excessive headways.

The only existing electrified section is the 148 km from Jolfa to Tabriz, where Soviet-designed 25 kV 50 Hz equipment was installed in the early 1980s. The border at Jolfa has been closed for more than 10 years — political upheaval in the Caucasus resulting in destruction of the line beyond the Iranian border. However, the Iranian part of the route is to be upgraded and resignalled, with electrification extended for 50 km south from Tabriz as far as Azarshahr.

Other likely candidates for electrification are the main route south from Tehran to Bandar Abbas, and the east-west route between Yazd and Esfahan.

Modern signalling is urgently needed to raise capacity on many routes. This offers the twin advantages of reducing delays and alleviating safety concerns about the paper ticket system, which is still used on some lines. Among the first routes to benefit will be the heavily-congested line from Tehran to Bandar Eman Khomeyni.

Expanding the network

RAI is currently examining the feasibility of building a cut-off between Esfahan and Ahvaz of railway wagon, which would be an extension of the existing line from Zarrinshahr via Izeh. The alignment will have to pass through the Zagros mountains, but the difficulties are likely to be outweighed by the considerable benefit of providing a direct route between the steelworks at Esfahan and the Persian Gulf port at Bandar Emam Khomeyni.

At the moment this flow of heavy traffic is routed via Qom, and the new line would shorten the distance by two-thirds. The line could be designed with steeper gradients for electric traction, so reducing construction costs.