Tehran feels train's magnetic pull

BERLIN - The Iranian Government has launched a bid to develop Germany's prestigious Transrapid high-speed magnetic train to ferry up to 15 million Islamic pilgrims a year along a 770km route linking Tehran with Maschhad in the northeast.

If the deal goes ahead Iran would become the second country after China to operate the record-breaking train, which "floats" on a monorail as a result of a magnetic levitation system and can reach speeds of over 450km/h.

Tehran was reported to have set aside US$1.5 billion for a project which would substantially increase German economic ties with Iran. These account for ¬4 billion worth of German exports each year.

Details of the Iranian bid were disclosed yesterday by the Schlegel engineering firm in Munich. The company has been asked by Tehran to conduct a feasibility study to determine whether a Transrapid track can be built along the proposed route.

- INDEPENDENT