Transport Expert Says Foreign Consultants' 2008 Advice to Prioritize Rail Investment Was Ignored

Mehrdad Taghizadeh, a former deputy minister of roads and urban development and a transport expert, said at a session on transport safety reported by Ecoiran on Thursday, August 20, 2026 (29 Mordad 1405), that foreign consultants had recommended since 2008 (1387) that Iran direct most of its investment toward railways and had set out a clear technology based priority list for capacity development, but those recommendations were ignored in practice.

He added that, contrary to that plan, implementation has in practice gone the opposite way, with decisions in the sector driven by heavy demand from members of parliament rather than technical expertise.