Mashhad Urban Railway (, the literal translation of the name from

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

) is a

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separation, grade separated rapid transit line below ground su ...

system in

Mashhad Mashhad ( ; ), historically also known as Mashad, Meshhed, or Meshed in English, is the List of Iranian cities by population, second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. ...

, Iran. It is the second oldest rapid transit system in Iran. The system has been known by a number of terms, including "light rail" or "light metro" and "urban rail" or "metro", but while its lines are built to different standards the system features full-grade separation and the frequent headways generally associated with

. The Mashhad Urban Railway operates Line 1 from 6 to 22:00 daily. As of 2025, the system operates 3 lines; Line 1, inaugurated in 2011, is an east-west

light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

line connecting to the airport. Line 2, inaugurated in 2017, is a

heavy rail Various terms are used for passenger railway lines and equipment; the usage of these terms differs substantially between areas: Rapid transit A rapid transit system is an electric railway characterized by high speed (~) and rapid acceleratio ...

route along the city's north-south axis. Line 3, in partial operation since 2025, is also built to heavy rail standards and serves the central area around

Imam Reza shrine The Imam Reza shrine (; ) is a Shi'ite shrine, imamzadeh and mausoleum complex, located in Mashhad, in the province of Razavi Khorasan, Iran. The shrine contains the grave of Ali al-Rida, who is regarded as the eighth Imam in Shia Islam. Als ...

Network

Line 1

The , 22 station Line 1 was the first line to be built; construction began in 1999, with the inauguration of taking place on 24 April 2011. The line originally ran from Vakil Abad to Ghadir. Line 1 currently runs between Hasheminejad Airport in the east and Vakil Abad in the southwest, with travel time of 41 minutes. Approximately half the route is in tunnels; the rest is at ground level.

Line 1 Expansion

Expansion of Line 1 added of underground railroads and 2 stations ( Bustan-e Reyhaneh and Hasheminejad Airport), connecting Mashhad International Airport to the Mashhad Urban Railway. Line 1 reached a total of 24 stations (13 underground, 11 on-ground) along of track, as in tunnels plus on-ground, and a ridership capacity of 170,000 passengers per day, along with daily operation between 6 am and 10 pm. The extension made

the first city in Iran with a

mass transit Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whi ...

connection to the airport.

Line 2

Line 2 is a conventional metro, running north–south for between Shahid Fakouri and Tabarsi with 13 stations. Excavation was done by two

Tunnel Boring Machine A tunnel boring machine (TBM), also known as a "mole" or a "worm", is a machine used to excavate tunnels. TBMs are an alternative to drilling and blasting methods and "hand mining", allowing more rapid excavation through hard rock, wet or dry so ...

s (TBMs). From February 2017 limited operation of the first phase of Line 2 began. The line connects to the inter-urban railway system at Raah Ahan. On 20 March 2018 pilot operation of Shariati, the first

interchange station An interchange station or a transfer station is a train station for more than one railway route in a public transport system that allows passengers to change from one route to another, often without having to leave a station or pay an additional ...

in the system, began. The station was officially inaugurated on 7 May 2018, in a ceremony attended by Iranian president

Hassan Rouhani Hassan Rouhani (; born Hassan Fereydoun, 12 November 1948) is an Iranian peoples, Iranian politician who served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. He is also a sharia lawyer ("Wakil"), academic, former diplomat and Islamic cl ...

. On July 27, 2019, Shahid Kaveh was opened. The line was further extended to Shahid Fakouri on May 3, 2025.

Line 3

Line 3's construction began in 2015, with TBMs doing the excavation. By 2020, of tunnels had been excavated, with the full route expected to be long and serve 24 stations. The line's first phase entered partial operation on 8 May 2025, with an initial 3 station route between Shohada and Imam Reza Terminal.

Line 4

Another additional line is planned. Line 4 with length has been approved and it will have 15 stations. Tunnel Excavation of Line 4 in Summer 2021 was started and is currently underway.

Rolling stock

A fleet of 60 low-floor LRVs was ordered from Chinese Changchun Railway Vehicles for line 1. These mark the first time that light rail vehicles have been exported to a customer outside

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. A fleet of 100 metro trains has been ordered to CNR. 85 of them were assembled in Iran by TWM.

Network Map

References

External links

Mashad Urban Railway Corp(MURCO)

Mashad Urban Railway Operation Company(MUROC)
{{Rapid transit in Asia Standard-gauge railways in Iran Transport in Mashhad Underground rapid transit in Iran