Iran, Japan to Boost Cooperation in Bullet Trains
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – High-ranking economic officials from Iran and Japan agreed to establish an expert panel to boost cooperation between the two Asian countries in a whole host of areas, including high-speed trains.
The decision was made in a meeting between Head of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran Valiollah Afkhami-Raad and Hirofumi Katase, the director-general for Trade Policy Bureau at Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, on Saturday.
“A small amount of intercity transportation in Iran is carried out by rail and the government intends to significantly expand it,” Afkhami-Raad said in the meeting.
“Given Japan's good performance and experience in launching high-speed trains, the Iranian administration is willing to cooperate with Tokyo in this area,” he added.
High-speed rail is a type of rail transport that operates significantly faster than traditional rail traffic, using an integrated system of specialized rolling stock and dedicated tracks.
The first such system began operations in Japan in 1964 and was widely known as the bullet train.
While high-speed rail is usually designed for passenger travel, some high-speed systems also offer freight service.
In the Saturday meeting, Afkhami-Raad also voiced Tehran’s readiness to boost cooperation with Tokyo in other economic fields, including oil and gas, petrochemicals, shipping, port facilities and modern technologies, including nanotechnology and biotechnology.
