Germans to build Iran maglev trains

Iran and Germany have reached an agreement on using a new form of transport known as maglev trains, to link the cities of Tehran and Mashhad.

The agreement was signed at the Mashhad International Fair site late Saturday between Iranian Ministry of Roads and Transportation and the German maglev company. First Vice-President Parviz Davoudi was also present at the ceremony.

Speaking at the meeting, the Governor General of Khorasan Razavi province Mohammad-Javad Mohammadi-Zadeh said the high-speed maglev trains would reduce travel time between Tehran and Mashhad to 2.5 - 3 hours.

Traveling the 900-km distance between the two cities by train currently takes about 14 hours.

Germany will invest 6.7 billion euros in the project under a base operations support contract, which Iran will have to repay within a 15 to 25-year period, he said.

Using powerful electromagnets, the high-speed trains, can travel at speeds of up to 500 kph. Once operational, the maglev trains will transport an estimated 10 million passengers per year.

BGH/PC/AVA

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=6163&sectionid=351020102

Such news would have made it into german media. But it wasn't reported here. Also I haven't found anything on the english website of the iranian news agency.

I doubt that Germany will be willing to make such a huge investment, Iran is still too unstable. How do they know if the Iranian government will exist for 15 years to repay the money. The US is always thinking about invading this country, then we will bomb the Maglev into pieces..................

Transrapid is a private company, partly Dutch too, and in desperate need of money.

It might be true, but it makes absolutely NO sense.

1. Iran has lots of mountains, and even more hills. Mountains and hills are the most expensive terrain through which you can possibly build anything remotely resembling a train -- even if it IS maglev.

2. Iran has more oil than it knows what to do with, so jet fuel there is dirt cheap. As in, the trucking charge probably exceeds the price of the jet fuel itself. Compare that to even the cheapest nuclear-generated electricity, the infrastructure needed to transmit it, and inefficiency in general, and the whole thing just starts to look kind of silly and pointless.

3. Iran doesn't have enough idle rich people sitting around wringing their hands about the Earth, the environment, and carbon footprints for it to even be on the radar, let alone a driving concern for its government.

4. 900km? 900km?!? That alone shows just how ridiculous the idea is.

Unless this is part of some kind of international money-laundering or maglev-for-oil scheme, it has zero chance of happening.

There is no way that a Maglev would be constructed to travel 900km. Investment in Iran may not go astray and may show the Iranian government that the world is there to help them grow and meet their public transport needs.

There is no way that a Maglev would be constructed to travel 900km. Investment in Iran may not go astray and may show the Iranian government that the world is there to help them grow and meet their public transport needs.

Are you confusing length with speed?

I cant see a reason why a maglev should not be able connect a 900 km distance. With the speed it has this should be theoratically possible in nearly 2 hours.


If this deal should be real it would be in fact great. But I learned to be sceptical when it comes to the Transrapid and related projects. I won't believe it until the construction is in its midth or better, the first Transrapid drives there...

It might be true, but it makes absolutely NO sense.

1. Iran has lots of mountains, and even more hills. Mountains and hills are the most expensive terrain through which you can possibly build anything remotely resembling a train -- even if it IS maglev.

What?? are you serious????

*Iran currently has over 5000 km of railways and expanding...

*Two HSL (250km/h) are under construction; Tehran-Qom-Isfahan-Shiraz and Gorgan-Mashad by an Austrian firm.

*A 450m € deal has been signed between Siemens and Raja to transfer German technology and build 120 locomotives in Iran.

*A 200m € consortium have been created with an Italian company to build 220 trains in Iran, another deal with Romania has been signed for 200 carriages.

*Iran produces and assembles its own Pars Wagon trains since 1974, Pic (http://www.wagonpars.com/fa/images/stories/YO2L46722.jpg).

*http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=397034



Quick Info
In the past century Iran has built more than 5000 km of railroad over difficult territories connecting remote regions to the cities and providing access to the country’s main ports. Numerous bold bridges and tunnels have been constructed to surmount the natural obstacles

http://www.msedv.at/rai/map_e.gif

In 1939, the Trans-Iranian Railway was opened, built entirely by local capital. It is 1,392 km long and connects Bandar-E-Torkaman (formerly Bandar-E-Shah) on the Caspian Sea to Bandar-E-Emam Khomeyni (formerly Bandar-E-Shahpur) on the Persian Gulf. From south to north this all important railway passes through and connects together the cities of Ahvaz, Dezful, Arak, Qom, Tehran, Garmsar, Firuzkuh, Qaem Shahr and Behshahr.

After the second world war a number of subsidiary lines were added to the Trans-Iranian trunk railroad such as Ahvaz-Khorram Shahr 123 km, Qom-Kashan 98 km, Tehran-Mashhad 925 km, Tehran-Tabriz 742 km and Bandar-E-Torkaman-Gorgan 36 km.

In the last decades the Kashan railway has been extended through Esfahan to Yazd, Bafq and Zarand and a new line from Kashan through Bad - Na'in- Meybod to Yazd and another extension has connected Kerman to Zarand.'

In the northwest of Iran a line from Sharaf Khaneh on Lake Orumieh over Qotur was opened in 1977 linking Iranian railways to international standard gauge network. It has great importance on the huge amount of merchandise and passengers that are annually transported from Iran to Turkey and Europe and vice versa.

In 1993 Bafq-Bandar Abbas was opened providing a link to this important Iranian port on the Strait of Hormoz.



2. Iran has more oil than it knows what to do with, so jet fuel there is dirt cheap. As in, the trucking charge probably exceeds the price of the jet fuel itself. Compare that to even the cheapest nuclear-generated electricity, the infrastructure needed to transmit it, and inefficiency in general, and the whole thing just starts to look kind of silly and pointless.

3. Iran doesn't have enough idle rich people sitting around wringing their hands about the Earth, the environment, and carbon footprints for it to even be on the radar, let alone a driving concern for its government.


Again not true.

First the aviation industry is unsafe and is suffering from sanctions, the railroads are obviously much more reliable for regular people. Secondly, oil production isnt keeping up with growing domestic demad, which is why petrol is already rationed but that is a whole other story anyway.

And FYI Iran has plenty of those "greenpeace ppl" lol


4. 900km? 900km?!? That alone shows just how ridiculous the idea is.

Unless this is part of some kind of international money-laundering or maglev-for-oil scheme, it has zero chance of happening.

Whats wrong with 900 km? :? It would make it a 2,5-3 h trip. Whats the ridiculous part? :s

In any case Im not saying that it will happen for sure, but these above 'reasons' are based on only lack of knowledge. According to rumours Transrapid will make an official statement next week, so it remains to see if its true or not.

Also I haven't found anything on the english website of the iranian news agency.

Here you go, published by 'IRNA' :)
http://iran-daily.com/1386/2818/html/economy.htm#s220041

I doubt that Germany will be willing to make such a huge investment, Iran is still too unstable. How do they know if the Iranian government will exist for 15 years to repay the money. The US is always thinking about invading this country, then we will bomb the Maglev into pieces..................

Many European companies not to mention Asian companies have been investing in Iran for a long time now. Billions are poured into the Oil and Gas sectors, then Car factories (peugeot, citroen, mercedes etc), cell phone factories (LG, Nokia), infrastructure projects (motorways, metro systems..) etc

So if germany actually would chose to make this investment, nothing new here.

Actually if Iran would invest its money a bit more in maglev than in creating military nuclear capabilities, I would be already happy.

And the Iranian people would also have more from it.

That's Sofa King great.

Are you confusing length with speed?

No. I believe it is more of a cost issue than anything else. It is more econimical to build a high speed rail line than a Maglev line.

AFAIK "only" the construction costs of Maglev are high, because it is a new system incompatible to the existing railways. But actually according to the german Wikipedia the construction costs are roughly as high as for a high speed rail track. Maintenance costs and noise are lower, acceleration is faster, faster speeds are possible and it can climb steeper tracks (up to 10%) than high speed rail.

Regarding a maglev line in Iran I still haven't heard anything in german news.

No. I believe it is more of a cost issue than anything else. It is more econimical to build a high speed rail line than a Maglev line.

If you have to build both right from the scratch? Perhaps conventional high speed is cheaper, but it uncertain it would be much difference. After all, the point is not so much the costs, its the risks. There is no long distance maglev route yet. And thats the problem, because that way its all more or less speculation.

Iran is considering building a magnetic levitation train line to transport pilgrims from Tehran to northeastern holy city of Mashhad.

Iran has made euro1.5 billion (US$2.03 billion) in start-up finances available for the study, which aims to establish the costs, as well as the technical and economic conditions required to complete construction of the roughly 800-kilometer (500-mile) rail line linking the Iranian capital Tehran with the northeastern city of Mashhad, said Harald Spaeth of the Schlegel engineering company on Tuesday.

"If is realized it will be the longest maglev track ever and a breakthrough for the technology," he said

"In about 18 months, we will know how we can complete the project,'' said Spaeth, adding that his office would be responsible for the construction if the route is to be built.


http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=11426&sectionid=351020102

Is it with their own technology or with German technology ??

They stole the technology!! Fooo!!!!

j/k


Let's wait 18 months to see if they can pull this off! It also depends on how the political/economical boycott will develop in the next year, so there's politics involved and that makes it unpredictable.

Obviously it is the transrapid. The only other technology is the japanese and they aren't finnished with their test/evaluation phase.

Germany set for train deal with Iran

By Tony Paterson in Berlin
Published: 30 May 2007

Iran has launched a bid to develop Germany's Transrapid high-speed magnetic train in order to ferry up to 15 million pilgrims a year along a 480-mile route linking its capital, Tehran, with the north-eastern city of Mashad.

If the deal goes ahead, Iran would become the second country, after China, to have bought Germany's record-breaking train, which "floats" on a monorail as a result of a magnetic levitation (maglev) system and can reach speeds of more than 280mph.

Details of the Iranian bid were disclosed yesterday by the Schlegel engineering firm in Munich, which is already involved in high-speed rail track development in Germany. The company has been asked by Tehran to conduct a feasibility study with a 1.5 billion € in start-up finances available for the study, which aims to determine the costs and the technical conditions required to complete construction of the roughly 800 km Transrapid track along the proposed route rail line linking the Iranian capital with the northeastern city of Mashhad.

Harald Spaeth, the company's director, said he met last week with the Iranian ambassador to Berlin to discuss the Transrapid.

"If is realized it will be the longest maglev track ever and a breakthrough for the technology," he said

"In about 18 months, we will know how we can complete the project,'' said Spaeth, adding that his office would be responsible for the construction if the route is to be built.

An investment of €1.5bn would substantially increase German economic ties with Iran. German exports to Iran totalled €4bn (£2.7bn) last year.

The idea was first discussed three years ago during a visit to Tehran by Otto Wiesheu, the then Bavarian economics minister, who is currently on the board of Germany's Deutsche Bahn rail network. But Siemens and ThyssenKrupp, the two engineering companies which supply technology for the Transrapid, said they had so far not been approached by the Iranian government.

Mr Wiesheu acknowledged yesterday the difficulties posed by the current international dispute over Iran's nuclear programme, and the fact that Germany was one of the countries negotiating with Tehran over the issue. "There is no doubt that Iran is a difficult country, but transporting pilgrims in Iran is certainly not a project that would be subjected to a political boycott," he insisted.

Busses currently ply the pilgrims' route between Tehran and Maschhad. The road is so tortuous that the journey, undertaken by between 12 and 15 million people a year, takes two days to complete. The Transrapid would cut travelling time to three hours.

The super high-speed train has been dogged by controversy and opposition almost since its inception. In China, where the Trans-rapid ferries passengers from the centre of Shanghai to the city's airport, protesters have forced the authorities to postpone plans to develop the service.

Proposals to run the Transrapid along a 100-mile route linking Shanghai with the city of Hangzouh were put on ice this month after more than 5,000 residents signed a petition saying they feared health risks would result from their exposure to high electromagnetic fields created by the trains. The project was scheduled for completion in three years, when Shanghai hosts the Expo 2010 exhibition.

In Germany, plans to run the Transrapid along what was intended to be a showpiece route between Berlin and Hamburg were axed in the early 1990s amid protests from the Green Party and residents. They insisted that the train was too noisy, used too much electricity and was potentially unsafe.

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2594162.ece
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail.aspx?id=11426&sectionid=351020102

Angela Merkel: Transrapid for Iran inacceptable

Samstag, 2. Juni 2007

Transrapid für den Iran

Inakzeptabel für Merkel

Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel (CDU) hat sich gegen deutsche Unterstützung beim Bau einer 850 Kilometer langen Transrapid-Strecke im Iran ausgesprochen. "Ich halte deutsche Hilfe beim Bau des Transrapids in einem Land, dessen Präsident unentwegt verkündet, dass er Israel vernichten will, für völlig inakzeptabel", sagte sie dem Nachrichtenmagazin "Der Spiegel".

"I am against German help for a country with a president who wants to "wipe out" Israel."

Vor wenigen Tagen war bekannt geworden, dass der Iran am Transrapid interessiert ist und eine Machbarkeitsstudie bei einer Münchner Ingenieurfirma in Auftrag gegeben hat. So soll der Bau einer Transrapid-Strecke von Teheran nach Maschhad geprüft werden. Mit der Magnetschwebebahn sollen zwölf bis 15 Mio. Pilger im Jahr in die Wallfahrtsstadt gebracht werden, hieß es in Medienberichten. Bisher fahren sie zwei Tage lang mit Bussen, mit dem Zug läge die Fahrzeit bei zwei bis drei Stunden.

Die Magnetbahn gilt als deutsches Hightech-Produkt, das aber nur schwer zu vermarkten ist: Es gibt bislang weltweit nur eine kurze Strecke in Shanghai, auf der der Transrapid im Alltagsbetrieb verkehrt. Zuletzt musste das Transrapid-Konsortium aus Siemens und ThyssenKrupp jedoch in China einen Rückschlag hinnehmen. Staatlichen chinesischen Medien zufolge ist die Verlängerung der Transrapid-Strecke von Schanghai nach Hangzhou um 160 Kilometer nach Anwohner-Protesten auf Eis gelegt worden. In Deutschland kommt das Konsortium bei der politisch und wirtschaftlich umstrittenen Strecke von der Innenstadt von München bis zum Flughafen der bayerischen Landeshauptstadt nur schleppend voran.

http://www.n-tv.de/809713.html


So I would say instead of a risky nuclear reactor try to build a maglev track between Tehran and Tel Aviv.:angel1: In this case you can count on ze Germans.

^^
Please translate.

Bitte schön:

Unacceptable says Merkel

German aid to a nation whose president wants Israel to be wiped off the earth is out of the question.

(explanation of what the project is about)

The maglev (Magnetbahn) is considered a tough to market hi tech product from Germany. (more) According to China's staterun media, extension of the Shanghai track is no longer a priority after local protests. The disputed track from Munich's city centre to the airport struggles to even reach the stage of development.

Thank you!:)

480 miles? Wouldn't it be cheaper for Iran Air to buy more planes and transport people that way?

The USA have yet to target a train. The US Airforce did already shoot down an Iranian passenger plane. That's a fact that hardly ever shows up. And worthy of reminding each time. School children in the USA ought to recite each morning. We shot down a passenger plane.

USA not target train because Iran have no trains that leave the country! Aeroplanes is vital to iran cargo. But not trains are vital! Same way in sarajevo trains carry cargo but not aeroplanes! :bash:

The USA have yet to target a train. The US Airforce did already shoot down an Iranian passenger plane. That's a fact that hardly ever shows up. And worthy of reminding each time. School children in the USA ought to recite each morning. We shot down a passenger plane.

OMG this is really true!!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655

I dun think domestic flights in Iran pass over the sea so close to the US Navy though.

^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^

used in the right way, such a transrapid can be a usefull weapon of mass destruction-----of course it depends on how much people sit in there and how fast it goes ;)

480 miles? Wouldn't it be cheaper for Iran Air to buy more planes and transport people that way?

U.S sanction prevents Iran from purchasing parts and planes that are made in the US.

Maglev project with Germany on track
Wed, 25 Jul 2007 12:52:04

Iran and Germany have signed a memorandum of understanding to conduct feasibility studies for launching Tehran-Mashhad high-speed train.

Iran's Deputy Transport Minister for Economic Affairs Hamid Behbahani said that in a visit by an Iranian delegation to Germany, they held talks with German Schlegel engineering firm on how to begin work for launching the magnetic levitation system (aaglev), Fars reported.

Behbahani noted that during the visit to Germany, the Iranian delegation gained valuable information about Schlegel Company and its capacities.

Explaining that the magnetic train stays one centimeter above the rail, he pointed out that the train generates electricity itself and therefore there is no need for electricity transmission via cables.

"Schlegel's maglev trains can reach the speed of 500 km within the first three kilometers, while other similar trains have to run at least 30 to 50 kilometers to reach a maximum speed of 300 km," he added

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=17389&sectionid=351020102.

Maglev is very expensive and even the Shanghai-Pudong Maglev will never break even and thats in the world 3rd largest economy

I think its a waste of money why not make railways throughout the country and improve service and transport rather than make one single line for so much expensive cost, this is not practical, if anyone talked about a Maglev in UK they would be thrown out of the country

good news for iran. shanghai---hangzhou maglev is going to built too!

Maglev is very expensive and even the Shanghai-Pudong Maglev will never break even and thats in the world 3rd largest economy

I think its a waste of money why not make railways throughout the country and improve service and transport rather than make one single line for so much expensive cost, this is not practical, if anyone talked about a Maglev in UK they would be thrown out of the country

Remember the time when the same was said when the first railroad was built in the UK? Noone thought it would be good...

good news for iran. shanghai---hangzhou maglev is going to built too!

actully thats been canceled due to fears of bad health risk caused by the maglev track

Remember the time when the same was said when the first railroad was built in the UK? Noone thought it would be good...

great comparison mate! Maglev technology has been around for years, Japan and German are only ones to make them yet they have never made a track for themselves because the of high cost and practicality issues

now if Germany and Japan two economic giants dont make a Maglev who are pioneers of this very technology doesnt that tell you something

that money can be invested and spent in much better ways like mono-rail and subways

actully thats been canceled due to fears of bad health risk caused by the maglev track

yesterday's newspaper, shanghai--hangzhou maglev project is reopen!

yesterday's newspaper, shanghai--hangzhou maglev project is reopen!

could you post a link to the newspaper article`?

So will they use the Chinese maglev technology then, I guess?

Found that on the international maglev board:

Iran signs final High-Speed contract for Tehran-Mashhad

Fars News Agency, 27 May 2009:
"The final contract for the construction of Tehran-Mashhad high speed railway was signed between the governor-general of Khorasan province and the German investor, in the presence of Iranian Transport Minister Hamid Behbahani.

Behbahani said Iran would also pursue project for conventional high-speed routes between the two cities, given high potentials for tourisma nd pilgrimage.

He added the cost of the project for the Iranian side is estimated at 10 to 12 billion Euros, which includes possession of the land for the route and the construction of the stations." end

NOTE:
1) The original text in Persian does NOT mention Maglev, but the project has the specification of the Maglev one which has been under discussion for the past two years.

2) The report does NOT clarify who "the German investor" is.

More update sto follow.

Again it is only an iranian news agency writing about it but the information fits into what has been discussed two years ago.

Link to original iranian news: http://www.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8803060520

Link to IMB: http://magnetbahnforum.de/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4834

Can someone read persian?

Since the terrain is rough in the projected area, Transrapid is a good choice because it is better suited for difficult terrain than any other high speed system. According to german studies Transrapid is cheaper to construct than conventional high speed rail when it comes to mountainious terrain.

^^

Contract of Tehran-Mashhad high speed train has been finalized

Fars News Agency: The final contract of the Tehran-Mashhad high speed train has been signed between the head of province of Razavi Khorasan and the German investors.

The final contract has been signed between the German investors and the head of Khorasan Razavi province Hamid Behbahani.

The minister of transport has said that the method of construction they will be using is "BOT". (Something I don't know about)

The cost for the project is estimated 10,000,000,000 to 12,000,000,000 Euros.

He also stated that the train journey must include the IKIA airport near Tehran for the ease of travellers. There are 9 more railway projects for Iran: 8 circuits are ready for investment.


I didn't translate the whole article, but all the important areas are covered. Hope that helps.

Thanx for translating Shapoor!

Is there any information in Iran on which technology will be used, maglev or rail?

It doesn't mention the word "maglev" at all.

حميد بهبهاني ادامه داد: با توجه به ظرفيت*هاي بالاي مذهبي و گردشگري و تاريخي خراسان رضوي و مشهد، علاوه بر قطار سريع*السير مشهد ـ تهران، پروژه قطار برقي را نيز پيگيري مي*كنيم كه به نتايج مثبتي نيز رسيده است.

Hamid Behbahani continued: Considering the high limits of tourism and history of Khorasan Razavi province and Mashhad, other than the high speed train project we will also investigate and look forward to the electric train project for positive outcomes.

The minister of transport has said that the method of construction they will be using is "BOT". (Something I don't know about)


BOT stands for "build, operate and transfer".

Hamid Behbahani continued: Considering the high limits of tourism and history of Khorasan Razavi province and Mashhad, other than the high speed train project we will also investigate and look forward to the electric train project for positive outcomes.

Yes there are plans to electrify and modernise the existing rail tracks.

any news?

No news on the maglev line, but according to this article (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iGHKA8fx66iDMr--28uLMqRd6FEA?docId=CNG.d3c79dc993c36937f83c3a5c9592758e.421):

Earlier this month, a state-run Iranian firm signed a $13 billion deal with China to build a 5,300-kilometre railway network in the Islamic republic.

It's from today, so very recent

$13 billion for 5,300-kilometre railway network

For a such price, it not seems to be 100% HSR network. Much more 10% - 20%.

For a such price, it not seems to be 100% HSR network. Much more 10% - 20%.

You have to take into account MUCH lower construction costs than in the West, plus Chinese engineering and trainsets cost rougly half as much.

That being said, this probably isn't true HSR, but a 160-200km/h railway.

You have to take into account MUCH lower construction costs than in the West, plus Chinese engineering and trainsets cost rougly half as much.

That being said, this probably isn't true HSR, but a 160-200km/h railway.

This is a comparaison of HSL costs in Morocco, France and Europe.

The High-Speed Rail Project in Morocco, Pros and Cons (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=64710475&postcount=231)

Les coûts de réalisation des LGV hors matériel roulant


LGV Tanger - Kénitra | 200 km | 1,409 milliards € | 7 M€/km


LGV Rhin-Rhône | 148 km | 2,312 milliards € | 15,62 M€/km

LGV Est européenne | 300 km | 4,193 milliards € | 13,79 M€/km

LGV Méditerranée | 250 km | 4,334 milliards € | 17,336 M€/km

LGV Sud Europe Atlantique | 300 km | 7 milliards € | 23,333 M€/km

LGV Bretagne-Pays de la Loire | 182 km | 4 milliards € | 21,978 M€/km

LGV PACA | 180 km | 7 milliards € | 38,888 M€/km

LGV Bordeaux-Toulouse | 200 km | 3 milliards € | 15 M€/km

LGV Normandie | 450 km | 10 milliards € | 22,222 M€/km

LGV Paris-Orléans-Clermont-Lyon | 410 km | 12 milliards € | 29,268 M€/km



LGV 1 (Belgique) | 88 km | 1,42 milliards € | 16,136 M€/km

LGV Perpignan-Figueras (France-Espagne) | 44,4 km | 1,1 milliards € | 24,774 M€/km

LGV Hanovre - Wurtzbourg (Allemagne) | 327 km | 280 km/h | 6,1 milliards € | 18,654 M€/km

LGV Hanovre - Berlin (Allemagne) | 258 km | 250 km/h | 2,6 milliards € | 10,077 M€/km

LGV Lyon - Turin (France-Italie) | 291 km | 11,8 milliards € | 40,5498 M€/km

LGV High Speed 1 (tunnel sous la manche) (Royaume-Uni) | 108 km | 6.278 milliards € | 58,129 M€/km

Le coût moyen de ces 15 LGV équivaux à ~24,38 M€/km

http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/china-to-build-eight-lines-in-iran.html

http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/china-to-build-eight-lines-in-iran.html

As far as I can see, only the first two lines listed by this article might be
high-speed lines. The 6 others are for classical, mixed passenger and freight,
or freight only traffic.

Some of those lines are since a very long time on the whishlist of the
Iranian railways.

Updates februrary 2013:

Tehran - Mashhad
electrification work is in progress

Tehran - Qom - Esfahan
Qom-Esfahan construction has been mostly finished. The whole line is visible on Google or Bing satellite images. The track is entirely signed on openstreetmaps.
Track ends in the outskirts of Esfahan (east of Esfahan Airbase). Final section into Isfahan has yet to be built (should reach Kaveh Terminal and railway station). The Tehran-Qom section has been completed about 10 years ago.

Qazvin - Rasht - Astara
Progress of Qazvin - Rasht is visible on satellite maps and openstreetmap.

Arak - Kermanshah - Khosravi
Arak-Malayer is operating. Construction work to Kermanshah is mostly finished and visible on satellite maps and openstreetmap

Chabahar - Zahedan - Mashhad
no news available

Gorgan - Bojnourd - Mashhad
no news available

Tehran - Hamadan - Sanandaj
Construction work east and west of Hamedan is visible on satellite maps and openstreetmap

Sari - Rasht
no news available

Short line of 16 km between Khorramshahr and Shalamcheh (Iraqi border to Basra) has been opened. Connection to Basra on Iraqi side has yet to be completed, including a new railway bridge over Shatt Al Arab in Basra.

Progress of Khaf-Herat (Afghanistan) line is visible on satellite maps and openstreetmap up to near of the border Iran/Afghanistan

Is this line Tehran - Mashad being constructed for HSR or just electrificated?