Investigating the Share of Transit in Iran's Rail Transportation from Regional and International Markets

Today, the role of rail transport in sustainable development is obvious. Considering the growth rate of world trade, the demand for load handling in this sector and in different distances is increasing day by day. Providing the necessary resources to respond to this growing need is a very important and challenging issue. Proper and timely utilization, as well as the necessary investment in this sector, can be effective in the transportation situation of the country's rail transportation sector. The main objective of this paper is to examine the share of transit in the rail transport sector of the country from regional and international markets. In this research, three scenarios have been defined to investigate the capabilities and transit capacities in the rail transport sector. The assumptions of the first scenario are based on the transfer of the fleet to the private sector (SMGS, TEA). The second scenario is based on contracts that have been signed with China. The third scenario is based on actual data from the average daily  freight wagons movement in the years 1396 and 1397. Then, In order to solve the existing problems and to reduce imbalances in the market share of rail transport between rail, road and marine, recommendations are presented based on optimistic and probable scenarios. These recommendations could lead to the achievement of the goals set out in the Law on Public Transport Development and Fuel Management.