The Iranian Iron and Steel Producers Association announced that Isfahan Iron and Steel Company has signed a US$4.32 billion agreement to export railways to Afghanistan. The new railway tracks will be used for various railway development projects. Afghanistan is currently working hard to develop its railway infrastructure.

In December 2020, the governments of Iran and Afghanistan opened the first railway line to connect the two countries to promote trade. Afghanistan is responsible for the construction part, while Iran is responsible for part of the project.

Six years ago, after the Islamic Republic of Iran Railway Company and the Isfahan Steel Company reached an agreement on the production of railway tracks, Iran began to produce railway tracks in the country. In November 2016, Isfahan Iron and Steel Company and the Islamic Republic of Iran Railway Company signed an agreement to produce 40,000 tons of U33 railway, and subsequently launched its railway production line. The investment value is approximately 28.2 million euros. In June 2018, the Islamic Republic of Iran Railway Company received the first domestically manufactured railway track called the National Railway.

Iran’s Transport Minister Mohamed Eslamy said: “The sector must be self-sufficient. In this regard, the delivery of the first shipment of the national railway is a major achievement.”

The new guide rail will fully comply with the latest international railway production standards.

Currently, National Rails is being used in multiple railway development projects across the country, including Chabahar-Zahedan, Miyaneh-Ardebil, Yazd-Eghlid, Hamedan-Sanandaj, Bostanabad-Tabriz and Rasht-Caspian.Editor/Huang Lijun