Hamedan Metro Project Awaits Funding

EghtesadOnline: Preliminary studies for the metro project in Hamedan Province will start as soon as funds are made available, a Hamedan lawmaker said.

News ID: ۷۸۴۶۰۲

16 April 2019

According to Amir Khojasteh, feasibility studies will start as soon as the funds are allocated by the government, he told Mehr News Agency.

He did not provide funding and other details.

The team will study the geological features of the city and draft an initial map for the metro system. They will also decide whether rail tracks should be laid in the ancient city via underground tunnels or above the ground, Financial Tribune reported.

After the preliminary studies, an initial metro map and the project timeline will be prepared and submitted to the Majlis for approval.

Years have passed since the provincial authorities proposed the construction of a subway in Hamedan as part of a solution to ease the traffic congestion.

This is while the traffic deputy at Hamedan Municipality, Abbas Soufi, has repeatedly censured the proposed project in the historic city and tourist hub as "unsuitable and destructive".

He is of the opinion that the special topography of the city and vulnerability of historical sites does not allow for huge public transportation projects like the subway system.

"The only way to expand the transport fleet is establishing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) network in the city," he told Mehr News Agency last year.

Covering 2.1% of the country's total area, the famous city, 320km west of Tehran, is home to 1.8 million people and over 1.3 million foreign and local visitors every year.

Currently, public transportation in Hamedan is limited to buses and the taxi fleet. There are 500 buses and 726 taxis in the picturesque city.