Wagon Pars

Wagon Pars (in Persian: شرکت واگن‌ پارس, Sherkat-e Vâgon Pars) is an Iranian train and locomotive manufacturer established in 1974,[1] in Arak.[2] Products include locomotives, trains, metros, freight and fuel railroad cars, and equipment for passenger boarding of aircraft.[1] It is the largest rolling stock manufacturer in the Middle East.

History

Wagon Pars began rolling stock manufacturing in 1984. In 1999, the factory reached an agreement with GEC-Alsthom to produce under license the Iranian Railways AD43C mainline locomotives.[3][4][5]

In 2007 the company manufactured Iran's first express train: a four coach, 252 passenger, 160 km/h train.[6] In 2009 the company had a production capacity of 1,800 vehicles per annum, and was operating at 20% of that figure.[7]

In the first decade of the 21st century the company received export orders for Cuba, including a 60 billion rial order for 550 freight wagons,[8] (completed Sept. 2009[9]) and 200 passenger vehicles[10] Also in 2009 the company obtained an €80 million contract with Vietnam Railways for the supply of 200 passenger vehicles - 40 of which would be produced by Wagon Pars, the remainder assembled in Vietnam as part of a technology transfer agreement.[11][12][13]

In 2009 and 2010, workers at the Wagon Pars factory staged protests due to lack of payment of wages; the company is thought to be in financial difficulties due to mismanagement. The acquisition by Iran Khodro during the 2005-2010 privatization of Iranian industries is claimed to have contributed to the company's poor financial state.[14]

In May 2010 the company announced it was going to help set up a rolling stock factory in Syria. The plant is to have a production capacity of 300 wagons, and also be able to repair passenger coaches.[15][16]

In August 2018, the Iranian Ministry of Defense declared it had unloaded its shares in Wagon Pars.[17] In 2019, the company broke its production record by building 411 cargo and passenger wagons in a year. The company said it had the capacity to make 150 passenger wagons and 1,000 cargo wagons per year.[18]

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