Iran, Austria plan to launch tourist train

Iranian officials and their Austrian counterparts have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to launch an International tourist train.

According to Iranian media, the MOU was signed on Wednesday between Iran’s Fadak Economical Group and three famous Austrian companies operating in tourism during a ceremony attended by Iran’s Vice-President and Head of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization Masood Soltanifar and the Managing Director of Iran Railway Company Mohsen Pour Seyed Aghaie.

Austrian President Heinz Fischer and his accompanying 240-member delegation travelled to Iran on Monday aimed at promoting bilateral relations.

“Rail tourism in Iran began with four trains under the eight travel tours and the country plans to grow to two times the current capacity in the section because this type of tourism already has been welcomed by European travelers.” Said Soltanifar during the ceremony to sign the MOU to launch a tourist train. 

In October last year, the first European tourist train, ‘Jewels of Persia’, carrying 65 passengers and 35 crew members, arrived in Iran after a two-week journey that started from Hungary’s capital of Budapest.

The “Jewels of Persia” tour crossed Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey and took passengers through the ancient Iranian cities of Shiraz and Persepolis before reaching the capital Tehran

Another luxury, international tourist train called “Hezar-o-Yek Shab (Thousand and one Night), carrying about 80 tourists from American and European countries, arrived in Iran in May this year.

Many tourists from Germany, US, Turkey, Netherlands, Switzerland, and Austria were on this luxury train.

Iran’s Head of the Tourism Organization added: “With a very good experience in tourist trains entering our ‘safe’ country, we plan to increase the capacity to two times this year.”

“The foreign tourists, who travel by train across Iran, convey the message that we have security in all parts of the country.” He emphasized.

The tourist train, if launched, will become the first Iran’s international tourist train, jointly invested by Iranian and Austrian companies.