Tehran: An official with the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (RAI) has announced that the Tehran-Mashhad high-speed train is scheduled to be launched by next week. Ali Kazemi-Manesh, the director for planning and monitoring rail services of RAI, made this announcement during a ceremony to introduce the new director general for the Railways Department in Qom Province.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, the high-speed train will cover the distance between the capital city Tehran and the holy city of Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan, in 8 hours and 20 minutes. Kazemi-Manesh emphasized the importance of the railway system's advancement in achieving sustainable development, noting that connecting the railway network to major industrial centers is a key policy of the Islamic Republic.

Kazemi-Manesh also pointed out the significant increase in the transportation of commodities and passengers, alongside improvements in railroads in Qom Province over the past four years. The official stated that the National Consensus Government places significant importance on expanding the railway network and expressed hope that this initiative would enhance service quality.