Korean Rail Buses on Iran's Tracks?

Iran has decided to import rail buses from South Korea for the development of its rail transport, despite plans to utilize domestic products in this area. While Iran has attempted to meet its various rail industry needs from domestic companies in the months following the JCPOA, it appears that in the areas of wagon and rail manufacturing, it still needs to rely on foreign partners. The Iranian Ministry of Roads and Urban Development has announced a meeting between Abbas Akhoundi, the Minister of Roads and Urban Development, and his South Korean counterpart. Akhoundi stated that 'in the rail sector, the construction and development of the Isfahan-Ahvaz railway, the purchase of rail buses, and investment in Iranian airports were discussed between the parties. In this regard, we hope that a bilateral cooperation committee will be formed before the upcoming joint commission, which will be held in South Korea before November 15.' Kim Hyun-mi, the South Korean Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, confirmed the sale of rail buses to Iran, adding, 'We will cooperate with Iran regarding infrastructure, transit, and logistics.' During this meeting, the Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development announced plans to purchase 450 rail buses. Rail buses are defined as trains that combine the wagon and the locomotive in one unit and typically have a capacity of over 300 passengers. However, importing these rail buses requires a final contract between South Korean companies and Iranian companies, and the conditions and details of transactions in this area must be announced. So far, only the number of rail buses has been disclosed. Previously, the Iranian company Irico was supposed to meet Iran's needs for rail buses. Irico officially began its operations in 2007 by producing rail buses through technology transfer from South Korea's Hyundai Rotem. The Irico rail bus is designed with a hydraulic diesel drive system for non-electrified rail lines. If Irico's promises had been fulfilled, at least 200 wagons should have been added to Iran's rail capacity in the past two years. A major challenge that has plagued Iran's rail industry in recent years has been the serious need to renew the fleet in both freight and road sectors. Aside from the rail fleet issue, one of the main problems is securing the necessary rails for new rail lines.