Islamic Republic of Iran Railways
{{Short description|State-owned rail company}}
{{About|railway company in Iran|railway network|Rail transport in Iran}}
{{Use dmy dates|date = February 2019}}
{{Infobox rail
| name = Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (RAI)
| other_name =
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| image = Map Iran railways en.svg
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| caption = Iran railway 2020
| locale = Iran
| start_year = {{Start date|1887}}
| end_year = present
| length = {{convert|12998|km|mi|0}}
| website = {{URL|www.rai.ir/}}
}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (RAI)
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| industry = Rail transport
| hq_location_city = Tehran
| hq_location_country = Iran
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The Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (abbreviated as IRIR, or sometimes as RAI, or as IRI Railway) ({{langx|fa|راهآهن جمهوری اسلامی ایران|translit=Râh âhan-e Jomhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Irân}}) is the national state-owned railway system of Iran. The Raja Passenger Train Company is an associate of the IR,Sources:
- {{citation|url=http://www.raja.ir/|work=www.raja.ir|script-title=fa:شرکت قطارهای مسافربری رجا|trans-title=Raja Passenger Trains Company|language=fa, en|access-date=31 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090402071214/http://www.raja.ir/|archive-date=2 April 2009|url-status=live}}, company website
- {{citation| url = http://www.msedv.com/rai/archive.html#04| title = News Archive| at = RAJA Passenger Trains Operating Company| work = www.msedv.com| quote = Passenger Trains Operating Company, RAJA, is a joint stock company affiliated to Islamic Republic of Iran's Railway Company (RAI). It was established in October 1996 as a part of RAI restructuring process, aimed at separating passenger and freight train operations management from infrastructure maintenance and development.| access-date = 14 January 2012| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100406035157/http://www.msedv.com/rai/archive.html#04| archive-date = 6 April 2010| url-status = live}} and manages its passenger trains. The Railway Transportation Company is an associate of the IR, which manages its freight transport. The Ministry of Roads & Urban Development is the state agency that oversees the IRIR. Some 33 million tonnes of goods and 29 million passengers are transported annually by the rail transportation network, accounting for 9 percent and 11 percent of all transportation in Iran, respectively (2011).{{cite web |url=http://www.tehrantimes.com/economy-and-business/94182-iran-to-extend-rail-network-to-15000-kilometers-by-2015 |title=Iran to extend rail network to 15,000 kilometers by 2015 - Tehran Times |access-date=2012-02-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204213235/http://www.tehrantimes.com/economy-and-business/94182-iran-to-extend-rail-network-to-15000-kilometers-by-2015 |archive-date=2012-02-04 }}
Operations
{{Main|Rail transport in Iran}}
In 2008, the IR operated 11,106 km of rail with a further 18,900 km in various stages of development.{{Cite web |url=http://www.rai.ir/Site.aspx?ParTree=A01011 |title=راه آهن ج.ا.ا |access-date=9 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815011811/http://www.rai.ir/Site.aspx?ParTree=A01011 |archive-date=15 August 2012 |url-status=dead }} Almost all of this is standard gauge of {{RailGauge|sg}}, but 94 km are Russian gauge of {{RailGauge|1520mm}} to link up to ex-Soviet Union border states. There is also the no-longer-isolated Indian gauge section of {{RailGauge|1676mm}} from Zahedan to the Pakistan border that continues to Quetta and the Indian sub-continent. The extent of double-track lines is 1,082 km. The Jolfa–Tabriz line is electrified (148 km). In 2006, IR reported that it possessed 565 engines, 1,192 passenger coaches, and 16,330 wagons. The vast majority of the engines are diesel-powered.{{fact|date=January 2025}}
Affiliate companies
- Raja Passenger Train Company is an associate of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (IRIR) and manages its passenger trains, including international trains linking Tehran to Istanbul and Damascus. Raja Passenger Train Company carried more than 4 million passengers during 2003–05. The number of passengers traveling by rail increased from 11.7 million in 2000 to 17.3 million in the year ending March 2005. Every passenger wagon annually carries 7,340 passengers per kilometer on average (whereas the figure is 3,950 people per kilometer in Turkey and 5,220 passengers per kilometer in Egypt). Private enterprises are expected to operate 5,000 wagons by 2009 (50% of total).{{cite news|url=http://www.iran-daily.com/1387/3296/html/economy.htm |title=Rail Privatization Underway |date=16 December 2008 |newspaper=Iran Daily |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130042542/http://www.iran-daily.com/1387/3296/html/economy.htm |archive-date=30 January 2009 }}
- Railway Transportation Company is also a subsidiary of the IRIR which manages its freight transport while the [https://web.archive.org/web/20020311121203/http://www.mrt.ir/ Ministry of Roads and Transportation] is the state agency that oversees the IRIR. In Iran, for every wagon, some 1,050 tons of freight are being transported (2008).
- Zarand Company provides the national railroad system with freight and passenger train carriages.{{cite news | title=Privatizing Railways | newspaper=Iran Daily | date=30 December 2006 | url=http://iran-daily.com/1385/2746/html/focus.htm | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070112053537/http://www.iran-daily.com/1385/2746/html/focus.htm | archive-date=12 January 2007 }}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.rai.ir Islamic Republic of Iran Railways Official Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520200245/https://www.rai.ir/ |date=20 May 2021 }}
- [http://www.iri.co.ir/ Iranian Rail Industries Development Co (IRICO) Official Website]
- [http://www.raja.ir/ Raja Rail Transport Company (Buying Iran Train Tickets) Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090402071214/http://www.raja.ir/ |date=2 April 2009 }}
- [http://www.mrud.ir Ministry of Roads & Urban Development Of Iran Official Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520190443/http://www.mrud.ir/ |date=20 May 2021 }}