The managing director of Iran Railway company, Mohammad Sa’id Nejad said that an inadequate railway fleet and the limitations of railway network connections with neighboring states are among main difficulties the railway industry faces.
In a meeting with the Iranian Economic Council Commission on Saturday, Sa’id Nejad said that to in order to develop "our fleet of railway cars we have bought 100 locomotive sets, 20 of which have been delivered while the rest are under construction at Pars Wagon Co."
According to MNA, additional 100 locomotives have been ordered from Alstom to solve the shortages, he added.
In 2000, Iran’s state-owned Railway Company placed an order worth $201.8 million with the French engineering group Alstom for 100 type AD43C 3200kW diesel-electric locomotives for freight and passenger services.
Alstom won the contract during President Mohammad Khatami’s first ever visit to France in 2000.
According to Sa’id Nejad, in order to further develop the country’s railway industry "we have managed to buy 80-passenger locomotives from Siemens Co., as well as 2,200 freight wagons, and 248 passenger wagons."
He predicted that by the end of the country’s Fourth Economic Development Plan (2005-2010) the railway industry could meet its target of transferring 36 million of passengers and 64 million tons of goods a year. However, today the industry encounters an annual demand of 50 million tons of goods and 80 million passengers, Sa’id Nejad added. (menareport.com)
© 2004 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
