(13) Mohammerah–Ahwaz (90 m.)–Dizful (190 m.).
(14) Mohammerah–Abadan=io m.
In 1892 the only railway in operation was a metre-gauge line connecting the capital with the shrine of Shah Abdul Azim 5 miles away, used solely for conveying pilgrims to the mosque. Since then there has been a measure of concrete progress. Firstly, a line 85 miles in length has been built from Tabriz to the Perso-Russian frontier, making connection at Julfa with the Russian Caucasus system. From Sofian station on this line a branch 3o miles in length takes off to the shores of Lake Urmia at Sharifkhaneh. These two sections were built by a Rus sian company, opened to traffic in 1916, and transferred to the Persian Government in 1921. Secondly, a short length of 71 miles of narrow-gauge line has been brought into operation between Resht and Pir-i-Bazar on the Enzeli lagoon, whence goods are taken by water to Pahlavi Port on the Caspian. In addition to the foregoing, 1o4 miles of rail were laid by the Government of India during the World War from their railhead at Mirjawa to Duzdab. This is at present a part of the North-western Railway system of India, but its future, at all events as regards the portion in Persian territory, is uncertain. Another stretch of about 35 miles of narrow-gauge line was built by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company in 1923, from Dir-i-Kazineh on the Karun to the oilfields at Musjid-i-Sulaiman, but as it is privately owned and is employed only for transport to and from the oil-fields it hardly comes within the category of national railway development. The history of the railway problem in Persia during the past quarter of a century does not however begin and end with the execution of the above modest projects. A considerable amount of negotiation and survey work has at any rate taken place with an eye to more ambitious schemes. Thus, in igii a British company, "The Persian Railways Syndicate," was formed for the purpose of constructing railways in Southern Persia, the first of which was to be a line from Mohammerah, on the Shatt-el-Arab, to connect with a line to be built under Russian auspices from Khurruma bad to Tehran via Hamadan and Kazvin, with an extension from Kazvin to Resht, which would have given through communication between the Caspian and the Persian Gulf and from Tehran to the north and south. This project was the outcome of negotia tions carried on early in 1911 between the British group and the Persian Government during the regency of Nasir-ul-Mulk, the Russian representative being brought into the discussion later, in respect of that portion of the line, between Burujird and Tehran, lying within the Russian sphere of influence.
As the result a comprehensive scheme of railway construction was evolved covering the main transport routes throughout Persia, it being agreed (I) that the railways within the Russian sphere should be built with Russian capital, and (2) that the first railway to be undertaken should be that from the Persian Gulf to the Caspian, with a branch from Kazvin to Tehran, because of its greater importance in Persian eyes and the greater prospects of remunerative working which it offered. These arrangements were upset by the fall of M. Shuster, the Treasurer General of the Persian Government (see later, History) and then by the World War. In 192o, the Persian Government intimated to the Syndicate that they had now come to the decision that the most needed line for construction at the moment was one from Khanikin to Te hran, connecting with the Iraq line from Khanikin to Baghdad and so providing speedier communication between Tehran and the Mediterranean, especially in the event of the contemplated Baghdad to Haifa railway taking shape. Such a line they con sidered would also be of great service to Shiah pilgrims travelling to Kerbela. They asked the Syndicate to undertake the survey of this line on the same terms as in the case of the previous survey. The invitation was accepted by the Syndicate and the survey duly carried out; it is the more disappointing therefore to have to record that the services thus rendered by the British syndicate and their constantly expressed readiness to exercise their options for the execution of the projects contemplated have borne no fruit, and that even their claims for survey work done remain unsettled (1928). Meanwhile a concession for the con struction of the southern line above referred to, but with its terminus on the Khor Musa instead of at Mohammerah as pre viously contemplated, has been given to a German-American syndicate. Preparations for construction work are understood to be in train and the prospective terminus has been officially styled "Bandar Shahpur." It is clear that the realisation of this project, traversing as it will the mountainous region of Luristan, will be no mean engineering achievement, and its execution must occupy several years, but Persia is much to be congratulated on having an important trunk railway at last in sight, which when completed will materially promote the development of her rich natural resources.