Trans-Iranian Railway, Railway line and World Heritage Site in Golestan Province, Iran.
The Trans-Iranian Railway stretches 1,394 kilometers from the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea, crossing eight provinces through mountains and deserts. The line uses 224 tunnels and 174 viaducts to navigate the difficult terrain.
Construction started in 1927 under Reza Shah Pahlavi and finished in 1938, creating Iran's first major railway infrastructure project. This completion changed how the country could move goods and people across vast distances.
The railway connects different regional communities across eight provinces, allowing people to travel and maintain ties across vast distances. The journey itself has become part of how locals experience their country, bringing distant parts together.
Regular passenger services connect major cities along the route, while freight trains carry goods between regions. The journey takes several days due to the length of the line, so allow plenty of time.
The construction faced difficult geology, including salt deposits in the mountains, which required creative engineering solutions. Some bridges were actually built inside tunnels to work around these natural obstacles.
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