The head of Iran’s New Towns Development Company announced Tuesday that Tehran’s long-delayed subway line to the city of Parand will finally open for service next month.
CEO Alireza Jafari said in an interview that the 19-kilometer (12-mile) Tehran-Parand subway will launch operations in late August, coinciding with Government Week celebrations in Iran. He stated the $300 million project is now over 75% physically complete.
The Tehran Municipality contracted construction of the subway line, which will improve transit access for nearly 200,000 residents of Parand, a planned community southwest of Tehran.
Jafari explained that because the subway serves Parand’s population, the New Towns Development Company has contributed over $170 million in financing for the project’s construction. The Municipality of Tehran has invested around $480 million to build the line.
Jafari added that another delayed subway project, the Tehran-Hashtgerd line, is now 99% complete and expected to open soon after signaling work is finished.
The launch of the Parand line next month will mark a major expansion of Tehran’s rapid transit network as it struggles to serve over 8 million residents. Further extensions to suburbs are crucial for reducing the city’s severe traffic congestion and air pollution.