TEHRAN - Head of Iran’s Planning and Budget Organization (PBO) said on Monday that two trillion rials (about $47.6 million) has been allocated for the double-tracking of Zanjan-Qazvin railway, IRNA reported.

Mohammad-Baqer Nobakht announced during a visit to the project on the sidelines of his one-day trip to the northwestern Zanjan Province.

“With the implementation of this project, the freight capacity in the east-west corridor of the country will increase by more than seven million tons,” the official said.

Nobakht also added that this railway line will also reduce the travel time via Zanjan-Qazvin railway by 1.5 hours.

According to the official, using the allocated fund, the project will be completed by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 2021).

The completion of this project, which currently has 65 percent physical progress, will also have a positive impact on passenger transportation from Tehran to Zanjan.

As reported, with the implementation of this project, the intersection of trains will be eliminated and it will increase the safety of travel and transportation.

The vice president and head of the country's Planning and Budget Organization arrived in Zanjan on Monday to visit and inaugurate several development projects.

EF/MA