Trans-Iranian Railway

The Trans-Iranian Railway was built between 1927 and 1938 to link the Caspian in the north with the Persian Gulf in the south, about 1,400 kilometres crossing two major mountain ranges, and it was financed domestically through taxes on sugar and tea rather than by foreign loan, which was a deliberate decision. The engineering is what earned the World Heritage inscription in 2021: 174 large bridges, 186 smaller ones and 224 tunnels, including spiral tunnels that climb the gradient by looping inside the mountain, and the Veresk bridge, a high arch across a gorge on the northern section. Passenger trains still run, and the northern section between Tehran and Sari through the Alborz and the southern descent through Lorestan are the spectacular parts.

History

The railway was begun in 1927 under Reza Shah and completed in 1938, built entirely with Iranian capital, to link Bandar Shahpur, now Bandar-e Emam Khomeyni on the Persian Gulf, with Bandar Shah, now Bandar Torkaman on the Caspian Sea, by way of Ahvaz, Qom and Tehran. In 1961 it was extended from Bandar Shah to a new terminus at Gorgan, and from 1963 new lines linked Tehran with Mashhad, Tabriz and Isfahan. The original 1938 route from Bandar Shahpur to Bandar Shah became a World Heritage Site in July 2021 (Wikipedia, Trans-Iranian Railway).

Highlights

• Spiral tunnels - the line looping inside mountains to gain height.
• The Veresk bridge - a high arch over a gorge on the northern route.
• 224 tunnels and 360 bridges - the scale of the 1930s engineering.
• Two mountain crossings - the Alborz in the north and the Zagros in the south.

When to go

April to June and September to October for the best weather on both mountain sections. One day for a scenic leg, three to travel the whole line. Book ahead; passenger services are limited and popular.

Before you go

It is a working railway, not a heritage operation, and rolling stock is ordinary. Services are infrequent and timetables change. The best scenery passes at inconvenient hours on some services. Photography from trains is restricted near some installations.

Nearby

The northern section runs to Sari; the southern descends through Lorestan to Khuzestan.