First Meeting of the Railway CEO with Freight Wagon Owners Held in the New Year
According to the Public Relations Office of RWT, citing the Association of Rail Transport and Related Services Companies, on Sunday, April 12, 2026 (23 Farvardin 1405), the first joint meeting between the CEO of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways and the CEOs of freight wagon owner companies was held in the new year.
The meeting, which took place under the sensitive conditions following recent wartime incidents, focused on strategies to enhance the resilience of the railway industry and remove operational barriers facing the private sector.
Trade Association Demands and Protection of Human Resources
At the beginning of the session, Dr. Sobhan Nazari, Chairman of the Association of Rail Transport Companies, expressed condolences over the martyrdom of Ayatollah Khamenei and congratulated participants on the New Year. He emphasized the necessity of government support for the operational body of the industry.
Listing the sector’s current priorities, he called for:
Provision of working capital facilities for companies, serious follow-up on the collection of receivables from steel companies.
Dr. Nazari also stressed the importance of supporting vulnerable groups within the railway sector and protecting employees’ livelihoods under current conditions, describing these as among the private sector’s key expectations.
Operational Proposals Under Crisis Conditions
The senior managers of freight companies then presented the industry’s technical and economic concerns.
Dr. Hassan Sedighi, CEO of RWT, referring to the crisis conditions caused by the war, proposed measures such as:
applying discounts on railway network access charges,
extending deadlines for major wagon overhauls, continuing the 20% discount on international rail transportation.
Meanwhile, Dr. Tokhmehchian, CEO of Partobar Khalij Fars Company, emphasized the need to accelerate payments by the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company and fulfill commitments related to Article 12 of the Law on Removing Obstacles to Production.
In the same context, Dr. Fatehizadeh, Head of the Economy and Investment Working Group of the Association, called on the Railway CEO to negotiate with the banking system in order to facilitate the issuance and follow-up of special certificate of deposit bonds for railway projects.
Target of Transporting 52 Million Tons of Freight in 2026
After listening to the concerns of private sector representatives, Dr. Zakari, Deputy Minister and CEO of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways, once again expressed condolences over the loss of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution and thanked railway industry workers for their steadfastness and uninterrupted service during the difficult days of crisis.
Emphasizing that “all management scenarios necessary to keep the industry moving on the track of service have been anticipated,” he announced plans to:
Expand rail exchanges with Türkiye, attract new freight volumes.
Responding to the issues raised by private sector representatives, he also stressed that the railway administration is actively pursuing companies’ receivables and progress in implementing Article 12 payments.
In another part of his remarks, the Railway CEO announced:
The equipping and activation of Iranshahr Station for unloading and loading essential goods, installation of weighing systems, provision of cargo handling equipment in the region.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Dr. Zakari advised companies to maintain operations and avoid workforce reductions, expressing hope that through close cooperation between the private and public sectors, the railway industry would successfully overcome this historic period.
Publication Date: 16 Ordibehesht 1405 (May 6, 2026)