Vulnerability of railway in northern Lut Plain against floods

The floods particularly in arid regions of Iran damage railroads each year. Most of the damages are in the rail bridges on stream channels. Dry channels of the streams، the flat surface of the ground، and lack of vegetation cover result in seasonal and annual channel bed replacements. These channel replacements، destruction of viaducts، collapse of embankment، blockage of the channel under the viaducts by sediments and inundation destroy railroads each year with many losses. Thus، flood forecasting in arid and desert regions can to a large extent help reduce the losses.