Trans-Iranian Railway

• planned electrification of the Tehran-Garmsar-Bandar-e Torkaman line

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On 2 December 2022, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1585/documents/. Progress on a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee in Decision 44 COM 8B.13 is presented in this report, as follows:

• An inventory of stations, workshops and ancillary buildings no longer in use is currently underway, and is reported to be 70% complete. The same applies to the heritage of historic rolling stock, archives and objects associated with the railroad. Rehabilitation or possible reuses will be studied for certain unused or abandoned buildings (eg. ecotourism, catering, sports facilities);
• The architectural inventory and the monitoring of the line in use are ensured by the station master plans, which are being drawn up. They analyze the natural and urban environment, geology, socio-economic conditions of use, station architecture and tourism prospects. Eleven major stations on the southern and northern lines have been documented to date. A number of conservation plans including building restoration work are also being prepared for Sari Station and workshops, Bon Kouh and Haft Tappeh Stations. All restoration work is financed by the Iranian Railways Company;
• The rolling stock inventory is based on standardized cards. Their conservation is to be achieved through a number of museographic actions, including a railway museum in the annexes of the Tehran station. The archives include many illustrated documents as well as buildings, engineering structures and railway equipment. Associated objects are also inventoried in the form of standardized sheets;
• With regard to the project to electrify the Tehran-Garmsar-Bandar-e Torkaman line, its economic and social necessity is reiterated. It also concerns the signaling system. In terms of impact, two points are made: the existing tunnels are large enough to accommodate the catenary system and will therefore not be modified; the old telephone system will be preserved and occasionally used for educational purposes. A heritage impact assessment (HIA) is planned for the electrification project, in accordance with the required standards;
• Local communities are involved through tourist trains, with scheduled stops in villages and towns to discover their cultural features and local products. It also takes the form of mediation projects, exhibitions and cultural festivals along the line. Improvements to local services are studied, for the benefit of local residents. Annual clean-up campaigns are organized with local authorities. In the various local projects, the preservation of traditional lifestyles is promoted through integrated management of the railroad and the use of the line by certain tribes for their nomadic migrations in the south of the country.

The State Party is currently making a significant effort to systematically inventory the constituent elements of its heritage, in the following order: 1) rolling stock, 2) building architecture, 3) documents and 4) objects. However, it is not easy to situate the proposed examples or to get an overview of the inventories carried out. For example, the map on page 5 of the report shows photos of the 14 major railway station sites, but it is not possible to identify either their names or their exact geographical positions. The examples of inventory sheets given are unfortunately not translated into one of the two working languages of the World Heritage Convention.

It should be noted that there is no inventory and monitoring programme for engineering structures. These should be taken into account in the works planned, notably the electrification of the Tehran-Garmsar-Bandar-e Torkaman line. As with the buildings, inventory sheets and a monitoring programme would be required, with a view to heritage conservation.

With regard to the electrification programme, the State Party is invited to carry out, as planned, a HIA including geographical and technical information as well as a visual impact analysis, in accordance with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, published in 2022. In fact, the visual impact of catenary systems should be documented, in particular at the level of reference structures and historic stations (possible modification of canopies, facades, etc). While the need to modernize a living, functional asset is understandable, it is nevertheless necessary to demonstrate that the impact of the chosen solutions on the authenticity and integrity of the asset is minimal, without calling into question the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) recognized by the Committee.

Documentation for restoration projects is usually fairly general and succinct. The practical cases presented are made up of photos and plans, the precise elements of which are not always clearly identifiable, and are sometimes difficult to understand and read (small and imprecise photos). The examples given of master plans and restoration plans are unfortunately not translated into one of the two working languages of the Convention. The first of the two appendices provides plans for the restoration of the Sari station, with a few photos, but without the slightest heritage study (date of construction, description of uses, old photos, possible transformations, analysis of materials and state of conservation, etc.) or any indication of the restoration choices made in conformity with the authenticity of the attributes (eg. structures, materials, surfaces).

The report and second appendix set out the principle of a railway museum project, to be located at Tehran’s main railway station. It is based on a hall that already houses prestigious railway items (the King's train, steam locomotive) and is to be expanded to help collect the old rolling stock still scattered along the line. A proposed network of eight museum sites spread along the line is mentioned (map p.17), but with no indication other than each main theme.