The Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (abbreviated as IRIR, or sometimes as RAI, or as IRI Railway) is the national state-owned railway system of Iran. The Raja Passenger Train Company is an associate of the IR,[1] and manages its passenger trains. The Railway Transportation Company is an associate of the IR, which manages its freight transport. The Ministry of Roads & Urban Development is the state agency that oversees the IRIR. Some 33 million tonnes of goods and 29 million passengers are transported annually by the rail transportation network, accounting for 9 percent and 11 percent of all transportation in Iran, respectively (2011).[2]
Operations
In 2008, the IR operated 11,106 km of rail with a further 18,900 km in various stages of development.[3] Almost all of this is standard gauge of, but 94 km are Russian gauge of to link up to ex-Soviet Union border states. There is also the no-longer-isolated Indian gauge section of from Zahedan to the Pakistan border that continues to Quetta and the Indian sub-continent.