Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-14
MOUNTAINS BLOCK
PERSIAN RAIL WAY
Geography Calls Temporary
Halt on Proposed Trans
Country Line.

Persia's plan for a north-south rail-
way, traversing the country from the
Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf, Las
run into serious obstacles in recent
months-the obstacles including two
lofty mountain ranges.
A bulletin from the National Geo.
graphic Society tells of Persia's geog-
raphy as it affects railway building and
the difficulties that must be overcome
if the country is to be traversed by a
steel highway.
Because of its geographical features.
Persia is one Of the most isolated e the
worlds important extensive areas, says
the bulletin. THE high central plateau
that constitutes the bulk of the country
is almost entirely trimmed by lofty
mountain ranges. Their crests, and
even many of their passes, lie deep in
snow in Winter. The isolation is in
creased by stable desert areas in South,
Central and Eastern Persia.
Since the earliest historic times i'm
portant trading routes have led across
Persia but until recent years they have
been exclusively caravan tracks for
canels, mules and donkeys, and even
today these are the most important fac
tors in moving Persia'S exports and I'M
ports and in distributing her domestic
highways were given hard surfaces and
automobile trucks put into operation.
The chief route that has been thus par
tally motorized leads from the frontier
of Iraq. on the west over the Zagros
Mountains to Hamadan, on the plateau,
and thence on to Teheran, the capital.
The road has not been kept in good re-
pair, however. and is used by caravans
of slow-moving animals. so that as a
motor highway it is not highly efficient.
Railways Stopped at Persian Border.
For more than a quarter century
there has been talk of building railways
in Persia. but practically nothing was
done until during the World War. Be
fore the war the only railway that
Persia could boast Of in all her $4,000
square miles was toylike pleasure
line between Teheran and a suburb
eight miles distant.
Railways have reached out toward
Persia for some time from neighboring
countries. The Russian Transcaspian
line in Turkestan dips to touch the
south of Merv A line built by the
British from Bagdad has its railhead
on the Iraq-Persian border near Khan
iquin. 1t is from this railhead that the
motor road runs toward Hamadan.
1.-TWO railways, extended for military
reasons during the World War, actually
penetrated into Persia. The first, built
by the Russians from Georgia and Ar
menia. crossed the boundary at Julia,
and reached Tabriz. This road is only
So miles long Fourteen hundred miles
to the southeast is the second railway
to cross into Persia. 1t Is the British
built road from India through Baluch-
istan. 1t crosses the border at Mira va
and runs on Persian territory for APP
proximately 100 miles to Duzdap. near
the point where Persia, Afghanistan
and Baluchistan meet.
Transpersian Railway Plan Recent
''Less than five years ago the present
ambitious plan for a tranSpersian rail-
way was born. The road was mapped
to extend from port to be built at the
southeastern corner of the Caspia-- Sea,
short distance along the lowlands that
skirt the southern shores of that sea
and through the Elburz Mountains to-
the plateau. It was then to continue
10 Teheran, across the plateau to the
ZagroS Mountains, through that range
and to the Persian Gulf near its north
west corner, a total distance of between
200 and 1,400 miles. Contracts were
let to German syndicate for work at
the Caspian end, and to an American
ET6lCl-bIItlSIl SgklttlCdIC AOA NOi4ceA W.
ton in the south.
Surveys disclosed excellent port pos
sihilities on the Khor Musa. an inlet of
the Persian Gulf about 40 miles east
of the mouth of the igris-Euphrates.
No port had ever existed on this deep
water inlet, but there Persia hopes toI
build her finest southern harbor. The
port, Bandar Shapur, has been begun.
The American syndicate constructed a
dock there in 1923 from timber shipped
from America, and there all material
@ar the southern construction has been
Enloaded directly from ocean vessels.
FROM the dock at Bandar Shapur the
r;.lway has been built north for 155
miles to Dizful and is in operation. In
this stretch it has been necessary to
erect many bridges, including one q
mile long at AhwaE, across the Karun
River, Persias only nayigable stream.
Just beyond Dizful, the railhead of the
southern railway, rise the Zagros Noun
tains Extending the railway through
this lofty range will require great engi-
neering skill, laborious construction
work and millions of dollars. It is pos
sible that e highway will be built from
the railhead through the mountains to
Serve in conjunction with the existing