Photo www.ady.az
In March of this year, the railways of Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia will be connected. This will become possible after the commissioning of the Astara (Iran) - Astara (Azerbaijan) railway line, which is one of the links in the North-South transport project.
This information was officially announced during the visit to Baku of a delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran led by the Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development of Iran, President of Iranian Railways Said Magomedzadeh.
The delegation held a number of meetings in Baku, as well as negotiations with the leadership of the Azerbaijan Railways (AZD). It was during negotiations with the Chairman of the Board of JSCJSC Javid Gurbanov that his Iranian colleague announced that the Astara (Iran) – Astara (Azerbaijan) railway line would be put into operation in March. At the same time, he added that final preparations for this event are being made in Astara, Iran.
In turn, Javid Gurbanov said that Azerbaijan has completed the construction on its territory of a single-line railway from Astara station to the state border, 8.3 km long, a railway bridge connecting the two countries and tested this section. Meanwhile, as NG was told in the Azerbaijan Railways, the meeting also discussed issues of expanding the cargo terminal in Iranian Astara, where loading and unloading of industrial goods and metals, as well as grain crops, will be carried out on an area of 10 hectares.
The parties' special attention to this issue is not accidental. The fact is that Azerbaijan has expressed its readiness to invest in the construction of the terminal. According to some reports, the volume of these funds will amount to almost 500 million dollars.
By the way, Moscow also promises financial assistance to Tehran. And this indicates that both Russia and Azerbaijan are very interested in accelerating the process of implementing the North-South railway project.
It should be noted that many countries in Europe and Asia are awaiting the commissioning of the new transport route. This project will ensure uninterrupted transshipment of millions of tons of cargo coming from India, Pakistan and Iran through the territory of Azerbaijan to Russia, Northern Europe and back.
Let us recall that on September 12, 2000, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Iran and India entered into an agreement on the international North-South transport corridor. It came into force on May 21, 2002. Azerbaijan joined the agreement in September 2005.
As NG has already written, the implementation of the project to build a railway line within the framework of the North-South project promises great economic benefits in comparison with other alternative international transport routes. Unlike the current sea route through the Suez Canal, the North-South corridor is half as long - cargo will be in transit not 1.5 months, but about two weeks.
According to preliminary estimates, the railway's capacity at the first stage will be 1.4 million passengers and from five to seven million tons of cargo per year, and in the future - 15-20 million tons.
It should also be noted that Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia tested this route even before the completion of the unification of the Iranian-Azerbaijani railways. As NG has already written, last summer the train was sent by ferry from the Indian city of Mumbai to the Iranian Bandar Abbas, from there it traveled by rail to the Iranian city of Rasht. Due to the lack of a railway section to the northern border of Iran, the cargo was delivered by road to the Azerbaijani border city of Astara, where it was again sent by rail to Moscow. Thus, for the first time, the route was tested, which actually forms the basis of the North-South project.
In Iran, the railway sector began to develop after 1914. The first line Tabriz - Julfa was built by specialists from Russia. Today railways Iran constitute an extensive network. Its infrastructure is developing rapidly, despite the mountainous terrain of the country.
State of the railway system
The length of railway tracks exceeds 10 thousand km. The longest routes are: Tehran - Bandar-Khomeini, Qom - Zerend, Isfakan - Shiraz, etc. Only a small part of the railways is electrified, so diesel locomotives are most often used to service trains. The country is currently modernizing its railway system, which includes laying new tracks. Iran's railways are actively used for transporting goods. The railway network in this state is ideal for the transit of various goods from Asia, Europe and the Persian Gulf. Over the course of a year, over 2-3 million tons of transit cargo are transported along the country's railways. Passenger transportation takes place on trains, which vary in the degree of comfort of the cars. There are sleeping compartments for 4 and 6 people, comfortable seats and hard seats.
Iranian train tickets are inexpensive. In Iran, rail transport is in great demand among passengers. Demand for tickets often outstrips supply. For transportation, locomotives made in Germany are used. Not so long ago, the country began producing its own diesel engines. The carriages are produced at the Iranian enterprise "Wagon Pars". Iran's railways have been owned by the state-owned Iranian Railways company from the very beginning. IN last years Private enterprises began to penetrate into this area. Today, most of the freight cars and almost half of the rolling stock in the passenger transportation sector have been privatized. The remaining carriages and locomotives are the property of national company"Rajah". The official website of the company is www2.rajatrains.com.
Train tickets
Train travel is cheap. Traveling by train is in many cases more convenient and faster than traveling by other means of transport. Various surcharges apply for express travel. Train tickets can be purchased at any station. The reservation system in Iran is far from perfect, so sometimes there are problems with tickets for passing trains. Passengers have access to an online ticket reservation service. This can be done on the website goiran.ru. Prices depend on the duration of the trip and the type of train. You can book any ticket using a credit card for payment.
As you probably know, Iran is a resource-rich state, so fuel is inexpensive here. And as a result, transport in Iran is also very cheap. Today I’ll tell you in detail about planes, trains and buses: what they are, where you can get there and how much it costs.
Another ton practical information Here:
Aircraft
If you are short on time, then airplanes are just what you need. They will help you cover significant distances in a matter of hours, especially since the prices are very encouraging.
There are several airlines in Iran: the national Iran Air with the largest network of routes, as well as Mahan Air, Aseman Airlines, Kish Airlines and many others that I had never heard of before the trip. Due to sanctions, the aircraft are mostly old, often leased or purchased from Russia, although Lately the government began to purchase new models.
There are a lot of domestic flights, both from Tehran to the regions and intra-regional flights. By at least, are easily reached by air.
How to buy tickets?
It is better to buy tickets in advance, for example online. This opportunity appeared quite recently, and it’s very cool. For example, I took tickets from Shiraz to Tehran for $30 (this is 900 km, choice of seat and hot lunch included). The second option is to buy locally from travel agencies or airline offices.
They are the most popular form of transport in the country - they are very cheap and go to all large and medium-sized cities and almost all small towns. The only drawback is the speed limit of 80 km/h and, in general, a high accident rate on the roads due to the driving style of local reckless drivers.
Classes
There are two classes of buses: VIP and mahmooly (normal). VIP buses have 3 wide seats in one row, which recline to a comfortable, almost reclining position, have air conditioning, serve juice and buns - in general, everything you need for a comfortable trip.
VIP bus
Normal buses are slightly older and have standard 4 seats in a row and air conditioning. In terms of price, they are 30-50% cheaper than VIP basses.
Some old copy
Bus prices
The fare is quite low - for example, a VIP bus from Tehran to Isfahan costs $8.5, that is, a little more than a ruble (!) per kilometer.
How to buy tickets?
More than a dozen bus companies provide transportation, so at the bus station, which is called the “terminal” here, you need to go around and ask at different ticket offices for the direction you need. Often, when you arrive, you will be greeted by barkers who will take you to the right place. I didn’t bother too much and rode what was offered, I wasn’t looking for any specific company.
You can buy tickets a week before departure at the bus station, at company offices in the center, or at hotels.
You can try to cope with the Iranian website (on which hotels will book tickets for you for a small commission) - (only in Farsi).
Buses run frequently between popular tourist cities, no problems at all, even on holidays, but to small towns there may be 1-2 flights a day, and it is advisable to buy a ticket a couple of days in advance.
Trains in Iran
I traveled by train twice: from Tehran to and back. In general, a great thing - saving on hotel costs and delivery to the right place! This is an inexpensive, safe and comfortable way to travel around the country - I recommend it.
One line runs from the border with Turkey and Armenia through Tehran through the northern part of the country and further to Mashhad. Plus there are several more branches to the south: one to Ahvaz and further to the Persian Gulf, the second from Tehran through Isfahan, Yazd and further to Bandar Abbas to the gulf. There is a branch to Shiraz and to Kerman-Zahedan to the Pakistani border.
General diagram of Iranian railways. This does not include areas under construction or planned, only actual ones.
Classes
As a rule, in Iran all trains are seated in two classes, plus there is also a recumbent (ghazal). For example, in a convenient night train to Tabriz there are carriages with 4 shelves and with 6 shelves per compartment, the difference in price is 30%. In general, these trains are similar to ours, only the toilet is Asian with a hole in the floor. The price of tickets for first class trains includes lunch or dinner, I overslept mine, so there are no photos :-)
Six-seater coupe
Prices
A shelf in a six-seater compartment for a 12-hour journey from Tehran to Tabriz cost me $10, which is very cheap. The fare from Tehran to Isfahan is $12 for a 7-hour journey.
Fellow travelers on the train
How to buy tickets?
It is better to buy train tickets a day or two before the trip at the railway station or at a travel agency in the city center, although they begin to be sold 30 days before the travel date.
To get an idea of the prices in advance, take a look at the official website or a more human one. On the second one, you can even buy tickets online, but the matter is murky... I recommend buying it on the spot only if you are not going during Novruz.
Minibuses
At close distances of 3-4 hours you can find small minibass, of course all made in Iran. They are not very comfortable, but they are cheap, and you can easily stand them for a couple of hours.
Savary
Savari is a shared taxi for 3-4 people. Almost everywhere where the drive is no more than 3 hours, you can find such transport. Their parking lots are located near bus stations or at interchanges, and the cost is 2 times higher than that of minibuses or regular buses, but much faster. To find them, just ask the local "savari" and your direction. I traveled like this from Shiraz to Marvdasht when I was traveling to.
Local transport
Metro
The metro is fully operational in Tehran, there are as many as 7 lines and it is very easy to move around the city. The metro is being built in Mashhad, Isfahan, Tabriz and Shiraz, and although some stations are operational, it is inconvenient to use. The first and last carriages are for women only.
Buses
In all major cities There are regular buses that cost $0.3-0.5. Several times I was driven for free out of the kindness of their hearts. The numbers and route are only in Farsi, with rare exceptions, so you have to ask the locals, but in general you can travel. The buses are similarly segregated by gender - women sit at the back of the bus.
City bus in Isfahan
Taxi
Taxis in Iranian cities are cheap, big company it is very profitable and convenient to use. There are so-called shuttle taxis that lay out a route and drive between the main squares and collect 4-5 people.
There is also a regular taxi called dar baste, that is, “close the door.” It may happen that you will take a shared taxi, and when everyone gets out the driver will ask you “dar baste?”, which means we are not taking anyone else, in which case you will have to pay a little more. If you don’t agree, say “na dar baste,” that is, without closing the door.
For example, I’ll say that I went from the center of Shiraz to the airport for $2.5, although I didn’t catch it on the main street.
That's all about ways to travel around Iran. Happy travels!