Jabbar Ali Zakeri, CEO of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways, said the contract for the Khavaran–Tabriz–Marand–Cheshmeh Soraya railroad project is expected to be signed soon after key contractual requirements have been completed.
He said connecting Cheshmeh Soraya to Iran’s railroad network and, through it, linking Iran with Turkey’s rail system at a new border point is among the Iranian administration’s priorities.
The necessary approvals for the project have been secured and preliminary studies completed, while preparations for signing the contract have been underway over the past six months, Zakeri said.
The project will be implemented under an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract. Once the contract is signed, the contractor will begin supplementary studies and the second phase of the project’s studies, with construction expected to begin at several points during the first six months, he explained.
The overall length of the route is expected to be about 324 kilometers, compared with 294 kilometers envisaged in earlier studies. Zakeri said the length was revised to ensure unified technical specifications and employer requirements throughout the corridor.
The deputy minister of roads and urban development stressed that the project is not merely a railroad line within one province, but part of Iran’s east-west rail corridor extending from Sarakhs in northeastern Iran to Cheshmeh Soraya in northwest and therefore needs to be built according to unified technical standards.