Joint ESCAP-OSJD Virtual Meeting of Experts Challenges and ...

Railway Transport Bangkok,4-5 Sep. 2017

Joint ESCAP-OSJD Virtual Meeting of Experts

Challenges and Opportunities for International Railway Transport

along the Trans-Asian Railway Network

7-8 July 2020

Iranian Railways (RAI)

TAR route-km

118,000 km

The Intergovernmental Agreement on the

Trans-Asian Railway Network

Islamic Republic of Iran

Turkmenistan

Pakistan

Party since 3 November 2009

Iraq

Turkey

Azerbaijan

Khorramshahr

Bandar Abbas

Esfahan

Bandar-Emam

Mashhad

Razi

Miyaneh

Tehran

Kashmar

Bandar-e-Amirabad

Bandar-e-Anzali

Astara

Jolfa

Kosravi

Arak

Zahedan

Mirjaveh

Kerman

Bafq

Badrud

Qom Garmsar

Chadormalu

Ardakan

Qazvin

Sarakhs

Shahrood

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Infrastructure development along TAR network

Launching Tabriz- Mianeh Railway

o 7 December 2019

o length of 203 km,

o Double track

o 120 km/h (for freight cars)

o 160 km/h (for passenger coaches)

o Increasing international trades and

goods export to Azerbaijan, Armenia,

and Turkey

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Launching Qazvin- Rasht Railway

o On March 5, 2020

o In line with North-South Corridor

o With the length of 164 km

o Single track

o Speed of 120 km/h (for freight cars)

o Speed of 160 km/h (for passenger

coaches)

Infrastructure development along TAR network

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Rail Freight Transport

Increasing freight transport

✓ Increasing the transport of

grain and main goods in April

2020, up to 3 times more, in

comparison with the previous

year

✓ Direct transport of goods

from ship to train

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Rail Corridors Commercialization

❑ Cooperation with ECO and ESCAP in

commercializing project of Kazakhstan-

Turkmenistan- Iran rail corridor (KTI)

❑ Cooperation with ECO on making operational

Isalam Abad-Terhan-Istanbul Corridor

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✓ Constructing and activating the rail route of

Shamtigh (Iran border) to Rozanak Stataion

(Afghanistan), with the length of 62 km,

✓ Agreements on entering Iranian wagons into

Turkmenistan ,

✓ Agreements with Russia on activating the

North-South Corridor (East Caspian Sea,

Caspian Sea, and West Caspian Sea.

Bilateral agreements with railways

to increase rail transport

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Bilateral agreement with China

Increasing the running of container trains

from China to Iran via the routes of

Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, as many

as 30 sets, since 2015 so far; and from

Iran to China (3 trains)

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Multilateral agreements with railways

✓ Five-party agreement among China-Kazakhstan-

Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran:

A five-party protocol on container shipment through China-

Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran to increase the

volume of rail transport,

✓ Five-Party agreement among Turkey-Iran-Turkmenistan-

Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan:

To increase consignment transport through Railways, by tariff

setting and determining the logistics companies of the countries,

November 2019

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Multilateral agreement with countries

✓ Six-Party Agreement among Iran-Turkey-Turkmenistan-

Uzbekistan-Tajikistan-Kazakhstan:

For running of CIS wagons to Turkey through Iran.

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Rail transport during outbreak of COVID 19

Freight traffic

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Domestic challenges Iranian railway encountered with

the outbreak of COVID 19

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Demeduction for steel and mineral cargoes due to the restrictions and

• Reduction in the steel and mineral cargoes transport due to the lock

down of the mines and workshops with a decrease in production,

• Freight trains movement reduction,

• Revenue and cash flow decline of the freight companies,

• Railway revenue decline due to the locomotives rental charges and rail

access charge,

• Railway non-operational revenue decrease,

• Reduction of the freight cars’ maintenance operations,

• Reduction of the freight locomotives’ maintenance operations.

Two rail borders with Turkmenistan, (Sarakhs

and Incheh Broun), were locked from March 2020,

now opened

Rail border with Turkey, (Razi), was locked for awhile from March 2020, then opened

Rail border with Pakistan, (Mirjaveh), was lockedfrom February 2020, still closed

Rail border with Azerbaijan (Astara border), theonly rail border active from the time of Virus

Challenges Iranian railway encountered with the

outbreak of COVID 19 in international traffic

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Measures taken by RAI to increase rail transport at the

time of Corona Virus

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➢ Installing wagon disinfecting tunnel at Kapikoy border by TCDD for

accepting and dispatching wagons via Razi border

➢ Increase of rail transport demand to Turkey from different parts of Iran

➢ Observance of health protocols and personnel health with supplying

personal protection equipment

➢ Designing and installing wagon disinfection tunnel over each Broad and

normal lines at the railway borders of Iran and Turkmenistan, (Sarakhs,

Lotfabad, and Incheh - Borun stations)

➢ All the technical data of disinfection equipment and tunnels at the

borders have been delivered to Turkmen Side and the railway borders

was reopened on 10 June 2020.

Construction of disinfection Tunnel at the Sarakhs Rail Border

Construction of disinfection Tunnel at the

Incheh Broun Rail Border

International transport in the last 3 months (COVID 19 period)

compared with the same period before the virus

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Border with Turkmenistan (Incheh Broun): -100%

Border with Turkmenistan (Sarakhs): -87%

Border with Turkmenistan (Lotf Abad): -88%

Border with Pakistan (Mirjaveh): -100%

Border with Turkey (Razi): +143%

Border with Azerbaijan (Astara): +28%

Some Proposals to UNESCAP and OSJD

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o Iran is both member to OSJD and UNESCAP, two important

organizations dealing with rail-related issues,

o RAI welcomes the assistance of the international organizations in its

measures to have computerized connection with its neighbors (with

Turkey for which the work is under way and with Turkmenistan)

o RAI wishes more involvement and close cooperation of international

organizations for upgrading the capacity of the border

terminals/crossings and equipping the borders to facilitate the

international rail traffic,

o Commercialization of the corridors and making them operational is

highly demanded and contribution of the international organizations

could be effective.

o

Thank YouFor Your Kind Attention