International Railroad Discussion > Iran opens new railway with longest bridge in the country

Found this through instagram, oddly, because of accounts I follow. Iran opened a new railway between Qazvin and Rasht last Wednesday, and it looks like it has some notable engineering - 53 tunnels and 45 bridges, including the longest bridge in the country, which I think is shown in the cover photo of this article at the Sefid Rud Dam.

https://financialtribune.com/articles/domestic-economy/97041/iran-president-flags-off-train-along-new-rail-section-of-instc

I'm hoping snarky political comments can be avoided, and the logistics of this discussed. From my very limited understanding, this route is a substantial section of International North-South Transport Corridor between Russia/Europe and the port city of Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf. The Rasht-Astara portion isn't finished yet, and that would connect to Azerbaijan. The part that they just opened, though, seems like the harder part through the mountains towards Tehran, while Rasht-Astara could hug the coast of the Caspian. Rasht station seems to be well outside of the city. I've already seen photos that indicate Russian equipment is interchanged and run inside Iran, when they connect to Astara and then Azerbaijan it seems like that could really increase.

No snarky comment. Would like to see the route, that is a lot of bridges and tunnels

Luckily it is pretty visible on Google maps, I've just been looking at it that way in my browser. If you start at Rasht, the railroad is on the south side of the city with an outlying station. It begins to head south and starts to run parallel to the Qazvin-Rasht Rd. as well as the Sefi-Rud River. Rostamabad is the first obvious station I see after Rasht. After that, the river valley narrows and there seem to be a lot more tunnels. Sometimes the rail bed isn't that clear in those areas but the tunnels appear pretty clearly as concrete (I'm guessing) tubes at the portals.

The long bridge with the slight s curve is at Manjil, where there is also a dam. The railroad turns southeast and there seem to be a lot more deep cuts. There is an impressive curved arched bridge right next to the Lowshan railway station, which itself already has a marker on google maps. I should add that when I searched for video of the railroad (typing Qazvin-Rasht railway) I found a couple news videos that had good ground and aerial shots of both of those impressive bridges. South of Lowshan there are many more tunnels again, and some more large bridges. In the video footage it looks like some bridges may be wide enough for two tracks, as the piers seem pretty side, but I only see single track on top. A couple tunnel portals look wide enough for two tracks too.

Following it farther south some parts with tunnels again appear less finished from dated imagery. But full trackage reappears again and there is a connection with another route at a place marked Siah Cheshmeh station.

I'm wondering if the whole route offers a much easier crossing of mountains that the Trans Iranian or another route cross, and if it will change traffic flows. I think I've seen proof that on flatter territory Iran runs somewhat longer and heavier trains that Europe - say, 50 cars instead of 30 - and I wonder if the new line has gradients that allow that. Tunnel portals seemed slightly higher clearance too.

Politics aside, definitely an impressive piece of railroad.  Especially over that water section. 

Please note they spent $145 million to build roughly 102 miles. Try that in the USA!
The "study" would cost at least that much.

TJY

They have cheap labor and no NIMBYS to do legal battle with. Just build it and move on.

icancmp193 Wrote:
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> Please note they spent $145 million to build
> roughly 102 miles. Try that in the USA!
> The "study" would cost at least that much.
>
> TJY

SP4360 Wrote:
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> They have cheap labor and no NIMBYS to do legal
> battle with. Just build it and move on.
>
(SNIP)

Iran has an immense population of "cheap labor"  but that's not always an asset when you need heavy equipment operators, railway workers, etc. 

I was amazed to read the population stats for folks with no education at all, less than five years education, etc.

Trading Economics summary of labor readiness

I wonder how accurate the cheap labor assumptions are. I don't think they are doing ancient railway engineering, things seem to be built to a high modern standard and that makes it seemed like plenty of skilled labor is involved. Sure, that kind of labor is cheaper too... but it's not like the have people digging tunnels by hand or laying stone by hand.

inCHI Wrote:
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> I wonder how accurate the cheap labor assumptions
> are. I don't think they are doing ancient railway
> engineering, things seem to be built to a high
> modern standard and that makes it seemed like
> plenty of skilled labor is involved. Sure, that
> kind of labor is cheaper too... but it's not like
> the have people digging tunnels by hand or laying
> stone by hand.


Iran has plenty of nuclear engineers, scientists, skilled construction workers,  etc.  But it also has an enormous population of very  low skilled, lightly educated, persons

The official stats say 12% unemployment, with a 30% youth unemployment rate. Some observers believe both estimates may be incomplete.

Link to Statistics

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> inCHI Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I wonder how accurate the cheap labor
> assumptions
> > are. I don't think they are doing ancient
> railway
> > engineering, things seem to be built to a high
> > modern standard and that makes it seemed like
> > plenty of skilled labor is involved. Sure, that
> > kind of labor is cheaper too... but it's not
> like
> > the have people digging tunnels by hand or
> laying
> > stone by hand.
>
>
> Iran has plenty of nuclear engineers, scientists,
> skilled construction workers,  etc.  But it also
> has an enormous population of very  low skilled,
> lightly educated, persons

When I was in college back in the '80s, the majority of the Civil Engineering students were Iranian.

Arved Grass
Fleming Island, FL