Tehran Times - Tehran Mayor Pirouz Hanachi announced that some 70 new metro cars have been imported to the country which will soon join operational metro lines, Tasnim reported on Saturday.

Currently, lines 6 and 7 are under construction which will soon be operational, while the rest of the lines are almost complete, he said, adding, metro is responsible for 15 to 16 percent of the total public transportation in the country.

In order to reach the maximum capacity of the subway, the time between arrivals of trains at the stations should be reduced to two minutes, while currently there is a gap of 2 to even 15 minutes due to the lack of metro cars, he explained.

He noted that Tehran wagon manufacturing company also have produced some 3 trains which are going to be on service by the next three months.

He expressed hope to expand underground transportation system, saying, “We are seeking to design and construct three metro lines of 8, 9 and 10, but the main obstacle is the heavy subsidy we spend on the subway.”

The residents pay for only ten percent of the actual metro cost, taking into account the cost of the tunnels and infrastructure, he stated, adding, “Public transportation anywhere in the world is subsidized, but it is less than what our country pays.”

Hanachi said in January that while currently some 1,350 railway cars are running in the capital’s subway system, it is still facing lack of 2,000 cars.

Tehran subway system consists of five operational lines, stretching to 170 kilometers, which is delivering over 730 million rides each year; two lines of 6 and 7 are under construction.

he lines link south to north, east to west and are gradually covering more neighborhoods. By completing the two aforementioned lines 70 kilometers will be added to the current railways.