Iran, China to Sign Railway Deal in Mid September

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an exhibition of the ministry's achievements in Tehran on 29 August 2010, Behbahani said that the final contract for the construction of Iran's Western Railway Network is scheduled to be inked on 12 September 2010.

"The final document of the contract has already been signed with the Chinese company and the Chinese Minister of Railways is due to visit Iran on 12 September 2010 to ink the US$2 billion contract for the construction and completion of Tehran-Arak-Malayer-Hamedan-Kermanshah-Khosravi railway," Behbahani announced.

Meantime, the minister stated that the financial resources of the project are yet to be decided, and added, "The US$2 billion budget needed for the contract has not yet been provided and the operative bank has not yet been specified."

Behbahani, who was in Syria to attend the Joint Comprehensive Conference of Transportation Cooperation between Iran and Syria, further said that working groups from Iran and Syria will discuss how to implement the plan in a special commission on transport affairs. - Fars