Iran-Turkey agreement document for rail connection exchanged

TEHRAN- The Deputy Minister of Transport and Urban Development announced the exchange of the Iran-Turkey agreement document for rail connection at the Cheshmeh Soraya border.

According to Tasnim News Agency, Jabbar Ali Zakeri, CEO of the Railway Company, during a visit by Seyyed Hamid Pourmohammadi, Vice President and Head of the Planning and Budget Organization, and Reza Rahmani, Governor of West Azarbaijan Province, to various sections of the Khavaran-Tabriz-Marand-Cheshmeh Soraya railway project, stated: Connecting Cheshmeh Soraya to Iran's railway network and thereby connecting the country to Turkey's railway network through a new border point is one of the programs of the 14th government, and the necessary measures are being taken to bring the project into the implementation phase.

Zakeri emphasized: The necessary approvals for the project have been obtained, preliminary studies have been conducted, and over the past six months, the groundwork for concluding the contract has been prepared.

He clarified: Given that the project contract is foreseen as EPC, after the contract is concluded, supplementary studies and the second phase of studies will begin by the contractor, and it is predicted that within the first six months of the contract, the studies will be completed and executive operations will begin at several points.

He said: One of the important requirements for concluding the contract was the exchange of the agreed document between Iran and Turkey. The Turkish government provided its response last week, and it is predicted that this document will be exchanged in the near future with the presence of transport and road officials of the two countries.

The Deputy Minister of Transport and Urban Development, regarding the financing of the project, said: The Planning and Budget Organization has made the necessary coordination for providing project credit, including the use of existing capacities and other financial solutions, and we hope that in the coming weeks, good news will be announced regarding financing and the start of executive operations for this project.

Zakeri, explaining the technical specifications of the project, said: This project starts from Khavaran and includes completing the connection of Khavaran to Tabriz railway station, upgrading and double-tracking the Tabriz-Marand route, and then continuing the route to Cheshmeh Soraya.

He announced the total length of this route as approximately 324 kilometers and said: In previous studies, the route length was considered about 294 kilometers, but given the necessity of standardizing technical specifications and employer requirements across the entire corridor, the new specifications for the project have been defined for about 324 kilometers.

The Deputy Minister of Transport and Urban Development emphasized: This project is not merely a railway line within one province, but is considered part of the country's east-west corridor from Sarakhs to Cheshmeh Soraya and must be implemented with unified technical specifications.

Zakeri said: At the beginning of the route, about 9 kilometers of tunnel are foreseen, and in the Yam and Marand railway area, a tunnel of about five to six kilometers will also be constructed.

Zakeri clarified: The Article 23 permit for the project has been obtained and environmental studies have also been fully completed; therefore, a significant portion of the requirements for bringing the project into the implementation phase is in place.

The CEO of the Railway Company said: The project implementation is foreseen in three phases, with the first phase including construction, completion, and double-tracking of the route, and in subsequent phases, electrification, implementation of signaling systems, and provision of rolling stock will follow.

Zakeri announced the required credit for the implementation of the first phase of the project as approximately 1.8 billion dollars and said: Project financing is being pursued using government resources and other financial methods.

Seyyed Hamid Pourmohammadi, Head of the Planning and Budget Organization, also said: The project to connect Cheshmeh Soraya to the country's railway network, as an electrified and double-track line, is going through study stages, obtaining permits, and contract preparation, and its implementation is considered one of the important projects of interest to the government.

Reza Rahmani, Governor of West Azarbaijan, also said: The communication routes of this province are part of the country's international routes and the connecting link between Iran and regional countries, and the region's capacities should be activated for the development of international trade and connecting Iran to the markets of Turkey, Europe, and Central Asian countries.

The Khavaran-Tabriz-Marand-Cheshmeh Soraya railway project, by connecting to the Iran-Turkey border, is one of the important projects for developing the railway network in the northwest of the country and can provide the groundwork for strengthening the east-west corridor and increasing the capacity for freight and passenger transport.

EF/MA