Feasibility Study of Electrification of the "Tehran-Mashhad" Railway Line based on Financial and Economic Analysis Methods

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mehran Khalaj 1
Davood Jafari 1
Pejman Salehi 2
1 Associate Professor, Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Parand Branch, Tehran, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Parand Branch, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/road.2025.500777.2360
Abstract
The national railway network of Iran includes freight and passenger trains, except for two sections "Jolfa-Tabriz" and "Tabriz-Azarshahr" with a distance of about 204 km, using diesel locomotives. Implementing an electric railway system has numerous technical and environmental benefits that can affect the economy and environment of the country and have many social effects. In the present study, the feasibility study of electrification of the "Tehran-Mashhad" railway line is studied based on the cost-benefit method; therefore, the researchers provide a framework for evaluating the direct and indirect benefits of this project and its associated costs. The "cost-benefit" assessments in this study showed that it has an adjusted internal rate of return of 12%, which is economically appropriate considering all allocated resources and is consistent with the results of studies related to electrification in other research.

The results of this research can be effective in decision-making and government policy-making in providing a coherent and consistent framework for the electrification of the Tehran-Mashhad railway route. On the other hand, many assumptions are required regarding other influential factors that, despite the difficulty in obtaining data in this research, can provide an acceptable estimate of the social and environmental benefits of electrification of the Tehran-Mashhad line.
Keywords
Electrification
Railway
Cost-Benefit Method
Tehran-Mashhad Railway Line
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