After a successful
When thinking about the world’s most spectacular railway lines, you immediately think about the Central Railway in
In October 2015, on a preparatory tour for the tour in May 2016, I went to the main station building in
As we ran a first tour for photographers to
The political situation seems to be stable these days.
After visiting this country, I can only say that I am enthusiastic about what I found culturally. And regarding the railways, thrilled would be the word to describe what is there to be found between deserts and mountains. This country is, for me, a new discovery and a number one destination. Have you seen a rock face, towering 150 metres above and alongside the rails? Impressive? You should go to Doroud! Between Doroud and Andimeshk rocks loom large and almost vertical right beside the railway line to 500 metres, 800 metres, and, yes, even more than one kilometre. And between these intimidating, towering mountains our great grand fathers dynamited a masterpiece of civil engineering with deep cuttings, tunnels, high bridges and spirals through the Zagros and
And then there’s the northern ramp of the Trans-Iranian Railway. The gradient here is even stiffer (1:36) as the line winds its way up into the mountains, enough to make you feel giddy. It is said that the Austrian engineer responsible was asked by Reza Shah to stay together with his family under his bridge when the first official train ran over it to prove that he trusted his long bridge, some 100 metres high and 65 metres long. He did as he was asked, and he, his family and the bridge survived. The latter, until today!
The necessary photo permit is hard to impossible to get, at least for the independent traveller. But with the deal to charter a train in exchange for the photo permit it worked in 2016. And for the tour in 2017 we’ve also arranged a number of railcars to make it possible to reach some of the most spectacular sections of the railways.
Date |
Itinerary |
29.04. |
Flight to |
30.04. |
Arrival in Sheykhsafi 05.58 hrs. With railcars, we’ll explore the spectacularly scenic section Sheykhsafi Khorasana, inaccessible by road. In the evening we’ll continue by charter bus to our hotel in |
01.05. |
Morning visit to the depot of |
02.05. |
By charter bus we’ll go to the spectacular Ghotour bridge (ca. 20 km) and take some pictures of trains. In the late morning we’ll head back to |
03.05. |
In the morning we’ll visit the depot of Bafq. Here you can find some of the Alsthom locomotives. If you bring your partner we recommend visiting the sand dunes nearby instead of the visit to the railway depot. Later we’ll focus on some line pictures between Bafq and |
04.05. |
In the morning we’ll visit the busy line |
05.05. |
At the small station of Shabazhan (Qapi) we’ll leave the train at 05:34 hrs. From here we’ll explore the ultra-scenic section between Shabazhan and the Sirom bridge north of Tang Haft using hired railcars. We’ll return to Tang-e Panj, where train 131 stops at 19:45 hrs which will bring us to Bisheh. Arrival at 21:48 hrs. In Bisheh we use a very basic guesthouse, the only suitable accommodation within reach. |
06.05. |
Around 6:20 hrs, before the passenger 940 arrives, we’ll take a chartered railcar to Sepid Dasht and probably a bit beyond. Here we’ll wait for the local passenger. After we’ve got the shot in the box we’ll continue by railcar to explore other places around Sepid Dasht, Lazgireh and Bisheh. If you want to have a relaxed day you can stay in Bisheh and watch the beautiful water fall nearby. The best time to watch the water falls is in the morning before local tourists appear. Guesthouse in Bisheh |
07.05. |
Minibuses will pick us up from Bisheh and bring us along the very scenic line to Doroud. We’ll explore the upper section between Bisheh and Doroud. In the afternoon we’ll return to Doroud and board overnight train 180, departing at 18.31 hrs from Doroud. |
08.05. |
At 05:36 hrs we’ll arrive in Semnan. Here we’ll be picked up by chartered minibuses which will bring us to Firuzkouh. We’ll explore the line within the section Firuzkouh Zarrin Dasht. In the evening we’ll return to a recently built guesthouse in Firuzkouh. |
09.05. |
Our charter bus will bring us to the most scenic photo spots between Firouzkuh and Pol-e Sefid, Guesthouse in Firuzkouh |
10.05. |
Besides our chartered minibuses we’ll also use a railcar today to get access to an exciting photo position on the upper side of the Veresk viaduct. In the afternoon we’ll go to Bonkuh and take a picture of the afternoon passenger to |
11.05. |
Mid Morning visit to the depot of |
The itinerary can be subject to changes due to train and flight schedule changes.
Breath taking. There is nothing more to say. Maybe, you’ll need a wide angle lens to get the complete mountain scene, together with the railway, in the viewfinder.
It took a long time before
The first lines were finally opened during WWI, as Russian, Turkish and British troops occupied the country. Besides a number of military and industrial narrow gauge lines, especially in the oil fields and the northern forests, the first, 148km long, line from
The railway age only really started after Reza Shah Pahlavi recognised a modern transport system as important for the future development of the country. Other countries had almost erected their entire networks by the end of the 1920s, while in
The Trans-Iranian was the foundation of today’s network of railways in
The occupying forces found only the 2-10-0 Henschels to be in suitable technical condition. To deal with the expected loads of freights, the
Before the invasion of
Between December 1941 and May 1945 over 3 million tons of goods travelled over the Trans-Iranian. During the occupation only military railway extensions were constructed, for instance, to another port on the
The expansion of the railway network, already started under Reza Shah’s reign, could only be continued after the
Line |
Length in km
|
Construction period
|
Teheran Ray (1.000 mm) |
9
|
1886 1888
|
148
|
1912 1916
|
|
Zahedan Mirjaveh (1.676 mm) ( Pakistan) |
93
|
1920 1921
|
461
|
1927 1937
|
|
928
|
1927 1938
|
|
121
|
1942 1943
|
|
Sar Bandar Mahshahr |
12
|
1950 1951
|
Garmsar |
812
|
1938 1958
|
736
|
1939 1959
|
|
Gorgan Bandar Shah |
35
|
1960 1961
|
Tabriz Bazargan ( Turkey) |
192
|
(1912) 1971
|
Qom Zarand |
847
|
1939 1971
|
Isfahan Zarrin Shahr |
111
|
1969 1972
|
Zarand Kerman |
80
|
1975 1979
|
Bafq Bandar Abbas |
670
|
1982 1995
|
Arpin Maleki |
24
|
1993 1997
|
Arpin Mohammediya |
128
|
1994 1999
|
Chadormalu Meibod |
219
|
1992 1999
|
Bafq Kashmar Mashhad |
756
|
2001 2004
|
Isfahan Shiraz |
506
|
? 2009
|
Kerman Bam Zahedan |
545
|
? 2009
|
Sarakhs Mashhad ( Turkmenistan) |
165
|
1996 2014
|
Khoramshahr Shalamche ( Iraq) |
16
|
2014
|
Today road traffic is preferred by the politicians. Motorways are constructed, cheap and sometimes subsidised fuel makes car driving affordable for many. Trucks are the backbone of freight traffic. At the turn of the last century,
These lines are currently, among others, under construction:
Line |
Length in km
|
372
|
|
Hamedan Jokar |
75
|
Malayer Kermanshah Khosravi |
450
|
424
|
|
Nezamiye Miyandasht |
37
|
Miyane |
175
|
Mahabad Oroumiye |
97
|
Maraghe Miyando Ab-Mahabad |
86
|
90
|
|
647
|
|
Khaf Herat (in Afghanistan) |
140
|
Tehran Hamedan Sanandaj |
418
|
Chabahar Zahedan |
1,350
|
Other large projects are in the pipeline and are going to be co-financed by the private sector. There are feasibility studies, for instance, for a line along the Persian Gulf shore from
The first high speed line between the megacities of
Alas the plans to electrify the line to
Predominating are diesel locomotives. They burn rather heavy fuel oil instead of diesel. Despite a few newer locomotives the fleet is still quite traditional. The main classes of diesel locomotives are (in order of construction/delivery):
Class |
RAI numbers |
Manufacturer |
Nos. |
Type |
Year |
Power (kW) |
(km/h) |
20.01 |
20-01 - 24 |
Davenport LW |
24 |
B-dm |
1942 |
||
RSD-1 |
ALCO |
57 |
Co’Co’ |
1943 |
735 |
105 |
|
G12 |
40-01 - 136 |
EMD |
136 |
Bo’Bo’ |
1956-62 |
965 |
100 |
G8 |
40-401 - 413 |
EMD |
13 |
Bo’Bo’ |
1959 |
644 |
100 |
G16 |
60-301 - 320 |
EMD |
20 |
Co’Co’ |
1959 |
1324 |
105 |
G18W |
40-451 - 452 |
EMD |
2 |
Bo’Bo’ |
1968 |
644 |
105 |
G22 |
40 137 |
EMD |
1 |
Bo’Bo’ |
1968 |
965 |
105 |
GT26CW |
60-501 - 569 |
EMD |
69 |
Co’Co’ |
1970-73 |
2200 |
124 |
HD10C |
40-601 - 638 |
Hitachi |
38 |
Bo’Bo’ |
1971-75 |
772 |
100 |
GT26CW |
60-801 - 914 |
EMD |
114 |
Co’Co’ |
1974, 76 |
2200 |
124 |
G22W |
40-138 - 158 |
EMD |
21 |
Bo’Bo’ |
1975 |
1100 |
105 |
G22W |
40-159 - 178 |
EMD (Đuro Đaković, Yugoslavia) |
20 |
Bo’Bo’ |
1982 |
1100 |
105 |
GT26CW-2 |
60-915 - 974 |
EMD (GMD London, Canada) |
60 |
Co’Co’ |
1984 |
2200 |
132 |
GT26CW-2A |
60-975 - 994 |
EMD (Hyundai, Korea) |
20 |
Co’Co’ |
1984-85 |
2200 |
132 |
RC4 |
ASEA |
8 |
Bo’Bo’ |
1985 |
3600 |
100 |
|
C30-7 |
GE |
29 |
Co’Co’ |
1985 |
2400 |
113 |
|
LDE626 |
60-351 - 360 |
Electroputere Craiova (Romania) |
10 |
Co’Co’ |
1986 |
1385 |
100 |
LDE 2640 HP-IR |
Electroputere Craiova (Romania) |
20 |
Co’Co’ |
1969 |
100 |
||
U30C |
2001 - 2021 |
GE (Montreal, Canada) |
21 |
Co’Co’ |
1992 |
2205 |
107 |
30C-7i |
2022 - 2062 |
GE (Montreal, Canada) |
41 |
Co’Co’ |
1993-94 |
2205 |
113 |
AD43C |
201 - 300 |
Alstom/Ruston |
100 |
Co’Co’ |
2000-09 |
2600/2880 |
110/150 |
DF8BI |
60-3012 |
CSR, (China) |
1 |
Co’Co’ |
2008 |
3680 |
100 |
IR22 (ER24PC) |
1501 - 1650 |
Siemens |
150 |
Bo’Bo’ |
2010-11 |
2400 |
160 |
There were a number of second hand Romanian class 060DA, five Ukrainian 2M62 and one Chinese diesel loco in Iran, but they didn’t play an important role in rail transport and have been withdrawn or sent back to the countries they came from. There were and are other diesel locomotives in
While on local trains you need to be satisfied with second hand elderly Danish or German coaches there is a number of modern and fast railcars. Siemens delivered 20 Paradise DH4-1 160km/h permitted railcars. More will be manufactured by Iranian companies under a technology transfer agreement. The same happened with the (by the railwaymen) highly appreciated 160km/h fast Siemens
Hyundai Rotem delivered 150 railcars between 2007 and 2009. However, the purchase of second hand British rail buses of Class 141 in 1998 seemed to be a failure, they are all parked in dump sidings now. More remarkable are the four French RTG Turbotrains, which came to the country in 1976. In 2008 they were converted to be driven by traditional diesel engines. In 2015 only one could still be seen hauled by a Siemens Iran Runner. Those Turbotrains once accelerated the speed on the classic track bed to
It is to be expected that the Iranian State Railway will develop quickly once the country generates a steady income from oil and gas exports again. There is only one line with semaphores, the northern ramp of the Trans-Iranian Railway between Sari and Garmsar. Several lines will see double tracking and the electrification of the
The railway is surprisingly on time and fast. This is an enormous advantage against the road traffic and the travellers appreciate this fact. Many long distance trains seem to be sold out days in advance.
In different publications you find different spellings of the city names. There is no unified transliteration for Farsi, as there is Pinyin for Chinese.
The tour is designed especially for railway photographers and video film makers with a broader interest also in the ancient culture of
You’ll take away many good impressions from a not so well known country. Many you talk to will advise you not to travel to
To reach the best photo positions you might be tempted to hike into the mountains. You’ll need solid footwear and again common sense. Always think about your own safety. Better skip climbing in tricky places if you’re not sure how it feels to fall several hundred metres.
In late April/early May it’s warm and often dry except on the northern section of the Trans-Iranian where temperatures may drop below 10 degrees Centigrade at the summit. Otherwise temperatures are expected in a range of 15 to 35 degrees Celsius.
We tried to offer a lower price for this tour compared to the first one. Hence we picked some accommodation which you normally wouldn’t choose. But off the major tourist sites the quality of hotels is basic. Even hotels in minor cities offer often only a very basic standard. In larger towns like
Electricity: 230v, 50Hz; blackouts are uncommon. In some cases you’ll need an adapter for the sockets. Mobile phones can be used, but there isn’t roaming available everywhere and where there is, it’s expensive. Internet is available in most of our hotels. It’s not the fastest, but it’s stable. Some websites are not reachable from
Please do not wear high visibility clothing. We are on a photo tour! When travelling in an Islamic country you should be considerate of their rules. Short trousers are a no-no and will terminate the tour for you. Carrying drugs beyond a certain amount brings about the death penalty. Drinking alcohol is prohibited, but there is alcohol-free beer and wine on offer. Ladies need to cover their hair and neck.
Our meal times are very flexible up to the possibility of cancelling the one or other meal. We’re photographically active. You’ll not starve but times and choice might be challenging for you. It is recommended that you carry some muesli bars with you. However, our Iranian tour guides will offer some snacks if there is no proper meal available occasionally.
Environmental standards in
Iran | ||
16 Cylinders Attacking 2000 Meters | 29 to 35 participants | £2,920 |
29.04.2017 11.05.2017 | 16 to 28 participants | £3,170 |
Single room surcharge | £570 | |
Registration Deadline: 29.01.2017 |
The price includes
Not included are:
* Using airlines with different arrival/departure times will cause additional costs for the airport transfer (approx. 80 Pounds one way) and hotels if required.