With a 15-minute headway between trains, commuters can take the subway from Helal Ahmar station in downtown Tehran to Tarbiat Modares station near Chamran and Jalal-e-Al-e-Ahmad expressway interchange, to Sanat Square in north Tehran.
According to the Tehran Municipality website, 7.5 km of the line has been launched. Also present at the ceremony was the chairman of Tehran City Council, Mohsen Hashemi Rafsanjani.
The premature launch of Line 7 by former mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf amid the 2017 presidential campaign was strongly criticized by urban transport experts and urban planners because it disregarded safety rules and protocols, according to Financial Tribune.
Qalibaf’s successor, Mohammad Ali Najafi, ordered the closure of the line lest the lives of commuters would be endangered.
Hanachi, who took over from Najafi, now says all safety standards have been taken into consideration. Five other stations of Line 7 will open in June.
Tehran’s subway system comprises seven lines (line 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7) with nearly 100 stations. Line 6 and 7 are still under construction.
According to Tehran Metro officials, after completion of all the projects, the subway will carry up to 9 million passengers every day from the present 3 million.