Harmonization of Rules and Regulations

Railways of Iran (RAI)

International Affairs
By: Mozhgan Kordbacheh
Deputy Director General
Expert Group Meeting on Harmonization of the Rules and Regulations for Facilitation of Intenrational
Railway Transport Bangkok,4-5 Sep. 2017
 Railway of Iran at a glance
➢Length of the lines: 11 000 km
➢Under construction lines: 6500 km
➢Rail network length by 2025: 25 000 km
➢Passenger transport increase: from 25 Million
passengers to 27 MP by the end of 2017
➢Freight transport increase: from 40 MT to 62
MT by the end of 2017
➢Railway share increase for freight: 12% to 30%
by 2025
➢Railway share increase for passenger: 8% to
20% by 2025
Expert Group Meeting on Harmonization of the Rules and Regulations for Facilitation of Intenrational
Railway Transport Bangkok,4-5 Sep. 2017
 Iran rail connection with other neighboring networks
▪ Sarakhs and Inche Brun border
with Turkmenistan and CIS
▪ Jolfa border and rail connection
with Azerbaijan (Nakhjavan)
▪ Razai border with Turkey and
connection to Europe
▪ Mirjaveh border and rail
connection with Pakistan and
Indian subcontinent
▪ Rail connection with Iraq and
Afghanistan
▪ Imam Port and connection with
int’l waters
▪ Bandar Abbas Port and ▪Amirabad Port and connection with
connection with int’l waters Caspian Sea
 Existing obstacles preventing smooth transport in
international traffic
- Lack of uniformity of customs rules and
regulations in transit routes

- Non-membership of the countries in

international regulations/rules

- Lack of coordination in rules and non-

observance from a country to another one

- Physical obstacles along rail transport

between Europe and Asia: standard gauge
of 1435 mm in the Railways of OTIF
member states and broad gauge of 1520
mm in the Railways of CIS Countries

Expert Group Meeting on Harmonization of the Rules and Regulations for Facilitation of Intenrational
Railway Transport Bangkok,4-5 Sep. 2017
 Existing obstacles preventing smooth transport in
international traffic
• Break of gauge at the border points and insufficiency of bogie
exchanging system
• Non-completion of missing links along rail routes and corridors
• Weak infrastructures along the routes
• Diversity of fleet technical specifications in the region countries
• Lengthy bogie exchange time at border points
• Lack of enough budget to complete missing links, equip fleet and
border terminals
• Trains' long delays at borders due to customs procedures and
different rules of the countries
• Non competitiveness of rail tariffs compared to other modes of
transport like road transport
• Lack of joint companies among the countries for combined transport
• Political issues and the consequences
Expert Group Meeting on Harmonization of the Rules and Regulations for Facilitation of Intenrational
Railway Transport Bangkok,4-5 Sep. 2017
 Ways to facilitate rail traffic:
RAI Accessions to Int’l
Organizations and Int’l Rules
- Accession of RAI to Railways
Cooperation organization (OSJD) in
1998 and Agreement on Freight
International Traffic by Railway
(SMGS) in 2001 after inauguration of
Mashad-Sarakhs rail line in 1996 to
realize international transport and
freight transit to Central Asian
countries

- Accession of RAI to OTIF in 1986 and

COTIF Convention and its 7
appendices in 2001.
Expert Group Meeting on Harmonization of the Rules and Regulations for Facilitation of Intenrational
Railway Transport Bangkok,4-5 Sep. 2017
 Asia-Europe Corridor

SMGS
CIM

CIM
- Regulating Uniform rail law with the objective of preparing rail laws at global level
and connection of European rail corridor routes to Asia by UNECE
-Organization of several meetings with involvement of CIT, OTIF and OSJD
- Study of the law in the Railways of Iran
 UKRAINE

ROMANIA odessa Ways to facilitate rail transport

constanta
Combined transportation
varna
South-West Corridor
Poti

Bandar-e-Abbas

Persian Gulf-Iran-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Poti Port-Black Sea-Ukraine-Poland

 North-South Corridor
Mumbai-Bandar Abbas Port (Iran)- Astara-Moscow towards Finland, Belarus, Latvia,
Estonia
 RAI Discount Policy for development of rail transit
•30% on cotton transit

•35% on transit Sulphur

•30% on the fertilizers transited towards the southern sea ports of the country

•50% for the freight transported to/from Turkey

•Special discount for ITI route containers

Expert Group Meeting on Harmonization of the Rules and Regulations for Facilitation of Intenrational
Railway Transport Bangkok,4-5 Sep. 2017
 Ways to facilitate rail traffic
Launching container trains

• Launching container train from China to

Iran: 28 January 2016 from East of China
(Yuwei) to Tehran. 10400 Km in 14 days
• Launching container train from Mumbai to
Moscow through Astara and Azerbaijan, a
combined transport: September 2016
• Operation of Nakhjavan-Mashshad
passenger train (Azerbaijan-Iran): 5
January 2017.
• Setting up working group for train
movement from Iran to Germany
• Moving of tourist trains from Europe to
Iran: since 2014. 13 trains

Expert Group Meeting on Harmonization of the Rules and Regulations for Facilitation of Intenrational
Railway Transport Bangkok,4-5 Sep. 2017
 Ways to facilitate rail transport
Completing missing links
▪ Rail connection with Afghanistan
- Construction of Sangan in Iran up to the border
of Afghanistan namely Shamtiq finished.
- From Afghanistan border up to Ghorian
station, 30 km in length is nearly finished and
will be opened this month.
-The rest of the line up to Jeno is 30 km the
infrastructure is finished and superstructure
shall be started this month.
▪ Rail connection with Azerbaijan
Qazvin-Rasht section has a 95% progress, 5 km
remained.
Astara-Astara section is nearly finished.

Expert Group Meeting on Harmonization of the Rules and Regulations for Facilitation of Intenrational
Railway Transport Bangkok,4-5 Sep. 2017
 Ways to facilitate rail traffic
Equipping border crossing stations
Sarakhs with Turkmenistan
- 2 bogie- changing stations 5 km
from the border line.
(New bogie change station with 24 sets
of jacks and original bogie change
station with 25 sets of jacks)
- 4 lines of the bogie change stations
- Capacity to deal with 200 wagons
per 24 hours each.
- Present capacity for change of bogie
systems to total of 400 wagons per
day
- Bogie maintaining capacity :6000
- Capacity to deal with 7.5 million
tons of freight on yearly basis.

Expert Group Meeting on Harmonization of the Rules and Regulations for Facilitation of Intenrational
Railway Transport Bangkok,4-5 Sep. 2017
 Equipping border crossing stations
Razi with Turkey

• 3 lines for accepting and dispatching trains

• 7 parking lines each with capacity of 45 to 50 wagons
• It is agreed a system to be set up in 3 months for
information exchange trough web service
• Wagons exchange is carried out in Kapikoy

Expert Group Meeting on Harmonization of the Rules and Regulations for Facilitation of Intenrational
Railway Transport Bangkok,4-5 Sep. 2017
 Equipping border crossing stations
Zahedan with Pakistan

• International transport in Zahedan in west part of

Iran
• Supplying crane for loading/unloading cargoes
• Installing weight at Zahedan Station
• In Zahedan cargoes are transshipped

Expert Group Meeting on Harmonization of the Rules and Regulations for Facilitation of Intenrational
Railway Transport Bangkok,4-5 Sep. 2017
Shahid Rajayee Port Imam Khomeini Port Amirabad Port
Area 4900 hec. Area 11000 hec. Area 1060 hec.

Container 200.000
90 million tons 55 million tons
Port Capacity Port Capacity Capecity TEU
(annually) (annually)

7.5 million
Container 3.300،000TEU Container Port Throughput
ton
Terminal (6.000.000 TEU up Terminal 700،000 TEU
Capacity to 2016) Capacity
Warehouse
Warehouse 62000 m2
Warehouse /Hangar
24 hec. 52 hec.
/Hangar /Hangar

Open Yard 220 hec. Open Yard 210 hec. Railways 16 km

Rail 45 km Rail 120 km Open Yard 200 hec.

Draft 8 – 17 m Draft 13.5 m

Draft 6m

Berth 40 Berth 37 Berth 10

• Accelerating the construction of new rail lines and complement the
missing links such as Qazvin-Rasht-Astara, Harat – Mazar sharif and
Van lake Project
• Cooperation among the Regional International Organizations such as
UIC،OSJD،OTIF ,…
• Strengthening and equipping border stations
• Developing Container transportation and obstacles removing from
border terminals
• Solving border problems and customs, Providing facilities for customs
formalities
• Decreasing goods travel time
• Planning scheduled regular trains
Thank you Огромное Вам спасибо

Thank you