Iranrail

What Iranrail does

Iranrail (iranrail.net) is a sole-proprietorship travel booking service founded in 1998 by Johannes Heger and legally registered in Vienna, Austria (GISA Nr. 33080987). It operates as an English-language intermediary that enables foreign travelers to purchase tickets on Iranian Railways, which cannot be booked directly through official domestic channels due to international sanctions on payment processing, Farsi-only booking interfaces, and the requirement for Iranian national identification. The platform connects to the booking systems of Iranian railway passenger companies RAJA and FADAK via direct integration to retrieve real-time availability and procure tickets, which are then delivered to customers as PDF documents (with QR codes) by email within 24 to 48 hours.

The core product is a web-based booking platform covering train timetables, ticket booking, a comprehensive station and operator directory, real-time train position tracking, and (since August 2022) bus ticket booking for routes without train service. The platform supports VISA and Mastercard payments globally and Sberbank bank-transfer invoicing in Russian rubles. Underlying technology is a custom-built booking system with an in-house CMS originally developed in 2013, redesigned for mobile responsiveness in December 2018, and substantially reworked in August 2022. Multilingual content is delivered through Google Translate integration covering English, Farsi, Russian, and additional languages.

Iranrail generates revenue through transaction fees on ticket bookings, including express fees for short-notice bookings. The exclusive customer segment is individual international travelers and tourists (SMB/consumer), with no enterprise or B2B channel. Operational support for ticket issuance is delivered through a partnership with Markar Travel Agency, an ICHHTO-licensed Iranian tour operator. The company has no external funding, no disclosed headcount beyond the founder, and no public financials. Distribution relies on organic SEO, referral links from established travel sites (Man in Seat Sixty-One, Caravanistan, Night-Trains.com, rail.cc), and a Telegram support channel.

Name

Iranrail

Legal name

Johannes Heger (Software and Internet Service Company)

Website

https://iranrail.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Iranrail is a one-person Austrian-registered travel intermediary that books Iranian railway and bus tickets for foreign travelers, who cannot use domestic channels due to sanctions and language barriers. It integrates directly with RAJA and FADAK to deliver real-time availability and email-based PDF tickets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Booking Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Rail Transportation (4882)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Rail & Intercity Bus Booking Engines (THALADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Rail Content Aggregators & Connectivity APIs (THALAJAE)

Keywords

• Train ticket booking
• Railway travel information
• International travel booking
• Iran railway timetables
• Intercity bus booking

Headquarters

HQ city

Iran

HQ country

Iran

HQ region

Middle East

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Booking Service Fees: Iranrail acts as a service provider and intermediary for foreign customers to book Iranian railway tickets. The service charges handling fees for processing bookings, including express booking fees for urgent tickets delivered within 24-48 hours. The platform buys tickets on behalf of customers from Markar Travel Agency after customers pay in foreign currency.
2. Bus Ticket Booking: Iranrail also facilitates bus ticket bookings for routes not served by trains or with infrequent train service, applying similar transaction fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Iranrail operates an English-language intermediary booking platform for foreign travelers wanting to travel on Iranian railways. It provides real-time train timetables, station directories, network maps, and ticket booking services by integrating directly with the booking systems of Iranian rail passenger operators (RAJA, FADAK and others), accepting international VISA/Mastercard payments and Russian ruble bank transfers and delivering tickets via email PDF. The service also books bus tickets for routes without adequate train service.

Product overview

Iranrail.net is a single unified travel service website (not an official railway site) that provides foreign travelers with online booking access to Iranian Railways. The core product combines train timetables with real-time ticket booking for multiple railway operators (RAJA, Fadak, and others), supplemented by bus booking for routes without train service. Additional modules include real-time train position tracking, a comprehensive station directory, and integration with the RailDude travel community forum.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Train Ticket Booking Real-time online ticket booking service for Iranian railways (RAJA, FADAK and other operators), allowing international travelers to purchase tickets via VISA/Mastercard with PDF and QR-code tickets delivered by email.
• Bus Ticket Booking Online booking for VIP and standard intercity buses in Iran, including overnight routes with air conditioning and reclinable seats, for destinations not adequately served by trains.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tickets delivered via email as PDF within 24-48 hours of booking
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Markar Travel AgencycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOfficial ticket issuing partner licensed by ICHHTO (Iran Heritage & Tourism organization, license NO.30012101396001827) and RAI (ticket reseller license Nr 2418). Markar Travel handles ticket issuance and forwards tickets to customers via email. Iranrail purchases tickets on behalf of customers from this agency after receiving international payments.
• RAJA (Rail Raja)coreTechnology or IntegrationThe passenger company of Iranian Railways (RAI) providing the primary booking system data. Iranrail has direct API connection to RAJA's booking system for real-time availability and ticket procurement. RAJA operates the official online booking system with Farsi interface and limited English sections.
• FADAK TrainscoreTechnology or IntegrationIranian railway passenger company providing booking system data. Iranrail connects to fadaktrains.ir for real-time train availability alongside RAJA and safirrail.ir.
• RailDude ForumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity forum for rail travel enthusiasts where users can ask questions and get help from expert travelers. Supports 30+ languages, linking to Iranrail as a booking resource.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Wanderu: North American bus and rail booking aggregator connecting travelers to multiple ground transport operators through a single search-and-book interface, sharing the multi-operator aggregation model.
• Omio: Multi-modal European transport booking platform covering trains, buses, and flights across 30+ countries, operating an analogous aggregator-and-booking model that connects international travelers to local rail and bus operators.
• RailEurope: Long-established intermediary that books European rail tickets for non-European travelers, historically solving the same cross-border payment and language friction that Iranrail solves for Iran.
• Rome2Rio: Multi-modal transport search and booking platform covering trains, buses, flights, and ferries worldwide, comparable in serving international travelers who need to discover and book ground transport in unfamiliar markets.
• BusBud: Global intercity bus booking platform with coverage in the Americas, Europe, and India, using the same transaction-fee model to monetize bus ticket sales that Iranrail adopted with its 2022 bus booking extension.
• Trainline: Europe's largest independent rail and coach booking platform, aggregating inventory from multiple operators and selling tickets to consumers with international payment rails — the same business model Iranrail executes for Iran, but at vastly greater scale.
• Loco2 (now Raileurope): European rail booking platform that historically served a niche international customer base with curated rail itineraries, similar to how Iranrail curates the Iranian rail experience for foreigners.
• 12Go.asia: Asian ground and ferry transport booking aggregator covering trains, buses, and ferries across Southeast Asia, operating an inventory-aggregation model with similar take-rate economics to Iranrail.

Broad incumbents

• Trip.com: Global OTA that includes rail and bus booking within a much broader travel portfolio — represents the large-incumbent competitive threat Iranrail would face if Iran's rail market opened to mainstream international platforms.

Others

• Caravanistan: Silk Road / Central Asia travel information and booking platform that explicitly links to Iranrail as a booking resource for the Iran rail leg — a content-and-distribution partner and adjacent information intermediary rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Iranrail