CHINESE-BACKED TEHRAN – MASHHAD ELECTRIFICATION CONTRACT SIGNED

IRAN: A consortium bringing together Chinese companies CMC and SU Power with subsidiaries of local industrial group MAPNA has been awarded a contract to install and maintain overhead electrification equipment on the 926 km Tehran – Mashhad line, and procure 70 electric locomotives.

The engineering, procurement, construction and finance contract was signed by national railway RAI on June 29. Construction is expected to take 42 months, followed by a five-year maintenance period. The project is to be financed from Chinese sources, with a 15% contribution from the Iranian government.

The existing infrastructure is to be upgraded to increase maximum speeds on the route from 160 km/h to 200 km/h, with the capability of 250 km/h operation in the future.  This is intended to increase capacity from 14 million to 35 million passengers/year and reduce journey times from 12 h to 6 h.

Work to upgrade the line had been officially launched with a ceremony in February 2012.

• MAPNA has now delivered half of the 150 IranRunner diesel locomotives which it is supplying to RAI under a 2008 technology transfer agreement with Siemens, and is planning to offer its own range of freight, shunting, electric and underground locomotives.