Motamedian: Developing Suburban Trains Should Be Tehran Province's Transport Priority

Tehran's governor, stressing the use of railway capacity to reduce traffic, fuel consumption and pollution, said governors and mayors must facilitate the development of suburban trains by easing administrative procedures.

According to Mehr reporter, Mohammad Sadegh Motamedian, on Monday afternoon, at the review meeting on the level crossing system of the Tehran-Pishwa-Garmsar suburban train, which was held in the presence of Jabar Ali Zakari, CEO of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railway Company, stated: Considering the financial conditions of the country and the high cost of building new infrastructure, using the existing capacity of the railway is one of the practical solutions for the development of public transportation in the short term. A solution that can provide more effective services to people at a lower cost.

Referring to the development of rural rail transportation at the government level, he added: This matter has been taken into consideration in the meetings of the president and joint meetings with national institutions. We should use this opportunity to strengthen the rail connection of the cities of the province and respond to the daily needs of the people.

Emphasizing the necessity of an integrated approach to transportation in the province, the governor of Tehran said: planning should not be limited to Tehran city and surrounding cities should not benefit from proper services. About four million people travel in this area every day, and the organization of these trips requires a logical connection between the transport networks of Tehran and other cities.

Pointing to the fact that 70% of transportation is carried out by private cars, Motamedian said that the development of suburban trains and the creation of interchange stations, in addition to reducing traffic and fuel consumption, are effective in reducing pollution and saving people's time. The time citizens spend each day commuting should be factored into our decisions.

Appreciating the efforts of the railway group, governors and mayors in following up on these projects, he added: Tehran Governorate supports the railways to coordinate the devices, remove implementation obstacles and follow up issues at the national level. Governors, as the highest representatives of the government in the cities, should play a facilitating role so that the actions taken will result more quickly.

The governor of Tehran stated about how to deal with the technical issues of the projects: national plans have specific consultants, contractors and specialized mechanisms, and decisions about the path and details of their implementation should be made based on expert studies. Non-specialist interventions and the use of executive authority to change technical decisions should not disrupt the project implementation process.

Motamedian considered the resolution of conflicts to be one of the important responsibilities of local administration and said: Issues related to conflicts should be resolved through dialogue and cooperation with the people, and the legal rights of citizens should be fully taken into consideration. The implementation of the project is to serve the people and its advancement should be done by respecting their rights and attracting their support.

He added: "Governors and mayors should solve some of the railway implementation problems in the cities." The more effective this collaboration is, the sooner the projects will come to fruition and people will see its effects in their daily lives.

In the end, the governor of Tehran emphasized: solving the problems of this route and developing suburban train services should not be delayed, and we must provide the ground for the realization of these measures quickly with careful monitoring, coordination of the responsible institutions and continuous follow-up of obstacles.