TEHRAN- Iranian railway fleet received 70 new domestically-made or renovated locomotives and wagons on Monday, IRNA reported.

As the fifth stage of a program for renovation of the country’s railway fleet in the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 20), 59 freight wagons, two renovated passenger wagons and nine locomotives joined the railway fleet on the mentioned day.

The current Iranian calendar year is named the year of “Surge in Production” by Leader of Islamic Revolution Seyed Ali Khamenei, and since the year start, the national railway fleet has constantly received new domestically-made locomotives and wagons.

At the first stage, which was on April 28, the fleet received 56 new domestically-made locomotives and wagons.

As reported by the portal of Transport Ministry, over 1.25 trillion rials (about $29.7 million) was invested by six domestic companies for the manufacturing of the mentioned wagons and locomotives.

As for the second stage, 88 wagons and locomotives were added to the fleet, while in the third round 65, and in the fourth stage 50 wagons and locomotives joined the fleet.

In total, since the beginning of the current year, 778 wagons and locomotives worth 12.7 trillion rials (over $302 million) have joined Iran’s railway fleet.

According to the Iranian Transport Minister Mohammad Eslami, all the locomotives and wagons added to the country’s railway fleet have been made by domestic companies.

In late December 2019, the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways celebrated the addition of 243 domestically-made wagons and locomotives to the country’s fleet.

Valued at 3.4 trillion rials (about $80.9 million), the mentioned wagons and locomotives were made by three different companies namely, Wagon Pars, Iranian Rail Industries Development Company, and Foolad Derakhshan Arak Company.

Back in September 2019, another 213 domestically-made wagons and locomotives had been added to the country’s fleet.

EF/MA