Tehran Metro
Tehran Metro is a rapid transit system serving Tehran, the capital of Iran. It is the largest metro system in the Middle East. The system is owned and operated by Tehran Urban and Suburban Railway. It consists of six operational metro lines, with construction under way on seven lines including northwestern extension of line 4, south extension line 6, northwestern and east extension line 7, east extension line 2 and Line 10, Line 8 and 9.
The Tehran Metro carries more than 3 million passengers a day. In 2018, 820 million trips were made on Tehran Metro., the total system is long, of which is metro-grade rail. It is planned to have a length of with eleven lines once all construction is complete by 2040.
On all days of the week, the Metro service runs from 04:30 to 22:00.
The line uses standard gauge and is mostly underground. Ticket price is 5,300 Iranian Toman for each journey, regardless of the distance travelled, but using prepaid tickets costs much less. Seniors may travel for free on the metro. On all Tehran metro trains the first and half of the second carriages from each end are reserved for women. Women can still ride other cars freely.
History
Initial plans for the metro system were laid in late 1960s but could not be executed until 1982 because of socio-political issues such as the Iranian Revolution and the Iran–Iraq War. In 1970, the Plan and Budget Organisation and the Municipality of Tehran announced an international tender for construction of a metro in Tehran. The French company SOFRETU, affiliated with the state-owned Paris transportation authority RATP, won the tender and in the same year began to conduct preliminary studies on the project. In 1974, a final report with a so-called "street-metro" proposal was tendered. The street-metro system recommended a road network with a loop express way in the central area and two highways for new urban areas and an 8-line metro network which were complemented by bus network and taxi services. Geological surveys commenced in 1976. In 1978, construction on the line was started in northern Tehran by the French company, however this development was short-lived with the advent of the Iranian Revolution and Iran–Iraq War in 1979 and 1980 respectively. SOFRETU ceased operations in Iran in December 1980. On 3 March 1982, the Iranian Cabinet ministers formally announced the stop of Tehran Metro operations by the French company.Image:Tehran Metro-Azadi Station.jpg|thumb|CRV Type DKZ3 Cars in the Tehran Metro|alt=|right
In 1985, the "Tehran Metro Execution Plan" was re-approved by the Majiles, the Iranian Parliament, on the basis of legal project of "Amendment of Law of Establishment of Tehran Urban and suburban Railway Company" which had been founded on Farvardin 1364. This was a literal continuation of exactly the same project that had been laid out before the revolution. Work proceeded slowly because of the continuing Iran–Iraq War and often ground to a halt. By the summer of 1985, urban pressure from the rapidly urbanising population, and lack of developed public transport system prompted the work to be resumed in earnest. "Line 1" and its extension to Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery was made a priority. "Line 2" and an extending towards the City of Karaj and Mehrshahr district was also made a secondary priority. Studies were also made to establish the previously designed Lines 3 & 4. It was decided that an organisation by the name of the Metro Company should be established in order to handle the future development of the system.
The Metro Company then became managed by Asghar Ebrahimi Asl for eleven years. During that time, hundreds of millions of dollars were spent on the system and the Metro Company was given government concessions for the exploitation of iron ore mines in Bandar Abbas, exploitation and sale of Moghan Diotomite mine in the Iranian region of Azarbaijan, export of refinery residues from Isfahan oil refinery as well as tar from Isfahan steel mill. The year after Asghar Ebrahimi Asl left the management of the Metro Company and Mohsen Hashemi succeeded him, the first line of the Tehran Metro was launched between Tehran and Karaj.
On 7 March 1999, an overland Tehran-Karaj express electric train started a limited service of between Azadi Square and Malard that called at one intermediate station at Vardavard.
Line 5 of the Tehran metro began operating in 1999. Iran's first metro system, the line was constructed by the Chinese company NORINCO.
Image:Golshahr metRo.jpg|thumb|Golshahr commuter rail station
From 2000 onwards, commercial operation began on Lines 1 and 2. The wagons on these lines are provided by CRV via CNTIC. The railway tracks and points on these lines are provided by the Austrian company Voestalpine.
The Metro uses equipment manufactured by a wide range of international companies: double-deck passenger cars for the Tehran-Karaj regional line are supplied by CRV some trains are from SEGC via CNTIC and assembled by the Wagon Pars factory in Arak.
, approximately $2 billion had been spent on the Metro project. The Tehran Metro transports about 2.5 million passengers daily through its 7 operational lines. It also has additional one line under construction, and an additional two lines in engineering phase. New 80 wagons have been added to the system in September 2012 to ease transportation and reduce rush-hour congestion. Iran is able to produce its need in wagons and trains independently.
A branch line of Line 4 began running to Mehrabad International Airport on 15 March 2016. A express line to Imam Khomeini International Airport was opened in August 2017.
Amidst the COVID-19 cases increasing in Iran, Tehran Metro made wearing masks a requirement to enter the metro network at any station. Law enforcement located in every station were ordered to prevent passengers from entering without masks and such passengers would be led to purchase masks from mask selling desks located at every metro station.
Lines
List
Line 1
Line 1, coloured red on system maps, is long, of which are underground and the rest runs at surface level. There are 32 stations along this line of which 22 stations are located underground and nine above ground., the total capacity of line 1 is 650,000 passenger per day, with trains stopping at each station for 20 seconds. The trains are each made up of seven wagons, with a nominal capacity of 1,300 seated and standing passengers. The maximum speed of the trains is which is tempered to an average of due to stoppages at stations along the route.Line 1 runs mostly north–south. A, three station extension of the line from Mirdamad station to Qolhak station opened on 20 May 2009. The, four stations second phase of this extension from Qolhak station to Tajrish Square was completed in 2011. Construction was to be completed by March 2007 but faced major issues due to large boulders and rock bed in part of the tunnels as well as water drainage issues. It has also faced major financing issues as the government has refused to release funds earmarked for the project to the municipality.
Since August 2017, one of Line 1's stations, Darvazeh Dowlat is open 24 hours a day, in order to accommodate passengers travelling to and from Imam Khomeini Airport via Line 1.
Line 1 connects Tehran to Imam Khomeini International Airport. Its first phase, to Shahr-e-Aftab station, opened in 2016, and the airport station opened in August 2017. It is the only metro line in Tehran that is completely open 24 hours a day, in order to accommodate passengers from late night and early morning flights. A third phase, completed in 2023, extended Line 1 to the satellite city of Parand and brought the total length of the line to. Its per hour speeds classify it as an express subway line, the first of its kind on the Tehran Metro.
Line 2
This line opened between Sadeghieh and Imam Khomeini in February 2000. Line 2 is long, with underground and elevated. There are 22 stations along the line, of which Imam Khomeini Station was shared by Line 1. Line 2 is coloured blue on system maps and runs mostly east–west through the city.The line was extended from Imam-Khomeini to Baharestan Metro Station in 2004, and to Shahid Madani, Sarsabz and Elm-o-Sanat University in March 2006 with the intermediate stations, Darvazeh Shemiran and Sabalan, opening in July 2006. It was extended further from Elm-o-Sanat University to Tehran Pars in February 2009, and to Farhangsara in June 2010. The extension phase to new east terminal is under construction.
Line 3
Line 3 travels from northeast to southwest. Line 3 is one of the most important lines as it connects southwest Tehran to northeast, crosses busy parts of the capital city, and can help to alleviate traffic problems. About of Line 3 became operational in December 2012, followed by in April 2014, and finally, the last section of the line which is opened on September 22, 2015, increasing the length of the line to a total of, and serving 25 stations as of 2021.Line 4
The line is long with 23 stations. which connects the western part of Tehran to eastern part. This line initially runs through Ekbatan to Kolahdooz. The construction of a western extension to line 4 has been started in 2012 connecting Ekbatan to Chaharbagh Sq. This extension will include 3 stations. A sub-line of this line connects Bimeh station to Mehrabad Airport. This sub-line has 3 stations at Bimeh, Terminal 1&2 and Terminal 4&6.Section 1, from Ferdowsi Square to Darvazeh Shemiran, opened in April 2008. Section 2 from Darvazeh shemiran to Shohada Square opened in February 2009. On May 24, 2009, Section 3 from Ferdowsi Square to Enghelab Square opened. On July 23, 2012, two more stations were inaugurated, connecting line 4 with line 5.
Currently there are 23 stations in operation on Line 4, coloured yellow on the system maps.