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Trains

Train tickets in Iran

Trains are the cheap, steady way between Iranian cities. Here are the routes, the classes, indicative fares, when tickets go on sale and the refund rules; the ticket itself is bought in rial from a reseller.

Type a date or pick one from the calendar

No sale here: the seller's page opens with your route.

01Popular routes

Popular routes

Indicative fares from public reports; the seller shows today's price.

When tickets go on sale

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Tickets are sold month by month. Each month's presale is announced 1–3 days ahead and opens a few days before the travel month, so tickets are typically available 2–5 weeks out, not months. Nowruz and Arbaeen have separate presales.

Release stages

  1. 08:30Online only, through authorised platforms (until 11:00)
  2. 11:00In person at authorised offices, remaining stock (until 13:30)
  3. 14:00All channels, online and in person

Nowruz 1405 presale opened Sunday 1 March 2026 (10 Esfand 1404) for travel 11 March to 6 April 2026, released route by route over three days: day 1 all routes except Mashhad, Tehran–Khaf and Tehran–Tabas; day 2 Mashhad routes except Tehran–Mashhad; day 3 Tehran–Mashhad, Tehran–Khaf, Tehran–Tabas, Semnan–Mashhad plus leftovers. Expect a similar window in late Bahman or early Esfand 1405 (Feb 2027); not yet announced.

Arbaeen has its own rail presale: in 1405 the presale for 1–15 Mordad travel plus Arbaeen trains opened on 20 July 2026 (29 Tir 1405). In 1404, 425,000 pilgrims travelled by train and new lines plus a platform opened at Shalamcheh border station. Destinations and train counts for 1405 were not confirmed.

Presale dates and alerts

Refund rules

Penalty as a share of the fare, by when you cancel.

  • Within 1 hour of purchase0٪
  • Until noon the day before departure10٪
  • From noon the day before until 3 hours before departure30٪
  • Within 3 hours of departure50٪
  • After departure100٪

Online refunds close 60 minutes before departure. · Children pay 50% · Infants pay 10%

National scale as published by the resellers. Online refunds close 60 minutes before departure; after that you must go to a ticket office. Ask at least 30 minutes before a penalty step changes. A duplicate ticket costs 5%. Children pay 50% and infants 10% of the fare. Fadak refunds without penalty for one hour after purchase on its own site.

Refund calculator

02Classes

Classes

  • Seat (bus-style / salon)

    Reclining seats in an open coach, 4 rows across; cheapest class, day trains such as Raja's Saba and Pardis.

  • 6-berth coupe (3-star)

    Closed compartment with six bunks; the cheapest overnight option (Parsi, Kavir, Mahdis).

  • 4-berth coupe (4-star)

    Closed compartment with four bunks; the standard overnight class (Ghazal, Sarir, Arg, Soroush, Ahoo).

  • 5-star

    Premium 4-berth compartments with catering (Fadak, Noor Economy Plus, Zendegi, Royal, Zomrod); fares are not price-regulated.

  • Exclusive compartment

    Buying all berths in a compartment so it is not shared; offered by Fadak and on some sellers.

Buy a ticket

Resellers sell the same seats in rial. Pick your date on their site.

Prices are shown on the seller's site. · Links checked 3 November 2026 · Opens in a new tab. Price and availability are confirmed there.

03Trains across the border

Trains across the border

Only Tehran–Van is confirmed to run. Everything else is planned or unverified: check before you plan around it.

All cross-border trains

  • Tehran – Van

    Running (verify)

    Last confirmed 7 May 2026

    Frequency
    Twice weekly: leaves Tehran Sundays and Wednesdays (train 426, 12:35, via Tabriz), leaves Van Mondays and Thursdays. Extra Monday/Friday trains ran in spring and summer 2026.
    Duration
    about 23 h
    Fare
    3,900,000 toman (as of 7 May 2026)

    How to book: Buy in rial on raja.ir or by calling 1539, at Raja ticket offices, or on Safarmarket/Flytoday. 4-berth Sarir sleepers; a passport valid 6+ months is required and the exit fee (عوارض خروج) applies. Turkey is visa-free for Iranian passports up to 90 days.

    Onward travel: From Van: Lake Van ferry to Tatvan (about 5 h), then TCDD's Vangölü Express Tatvan–Ankara (leaves Tatvan 10:30 Tue/Thu, arrives Ankara 11:56 next day), then YHT Ankara–Istanbul. 48–75 h in total depending on connections; Turkish legs need a non-Iranian card or station purchase.

    Last confirmed by Raja on 7 May 2026 (fare 3.9 million toman). The line was cut for about a week in April 2026 after damage near Mianeh–Zanjan, and there has been no confirmation for autumn 2026. Check the current status before you buy.

    Passport and exit tax requiredSource

  • Tehran – Ankara

    Suspended

    How to book: No direct train. Take the Tehran–Van train, the Lake Van ferry to Tatvan and the Vangölü Express to Ankara; buy the Iranian leg in rial via Raja and the Turkish legs via ebilet.tcddtasimacilik.gov.tr (foreign card) or at the station.

    Onward travel: Ankara–Istanbul YHT about 4h15 (about 780 TL economy in 2025).

    The Trans-Asia Express was suspended during the pandemic and has not resumed (Seat61, Feb 2026). Safarmarket expected direct Ankara ticket sales 'within two months' in Dec 2025; not confirmed.

    Passport and exit tax requiredSource
Trains abroad

About these figures: Fares are indicative bands from public reports and seller listings, not quotes; check the price and buy on the seller's site.

Data updated 3 November 2026