Rail link between Iran-Afghanistan officially launched
As of Thursday 10 December, Iran and Afghanistan are connected by rail. The launching of the Khaf (Iran)-Herat (Afghanistan) railway line was accompanied by the first freight train carrying agricultural goods. A week earlier, a...Read more
Iran goes for rapid rail development to boost freight
The Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (IRIR) is engaged in a significant expansion of its rail network, with the intention of radically increasing rail’s nine per cent modal share (33 million tonnes) of annual freight...Read more
Astara terminal stimulates rail freight traffic to Iran
The rail freight terminal in the Iranian town of Astara is continuing to strengthen its significance on the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). In 2019 it handled freight volumes by around 38 per cent more...Read more
Russia stops work on vital railway project Iran
Russian Railways has stopped its infrastructure activities in Iran. It made this announcement today, 2 April. Its subsidiary RZD International was working on the electrification of the vital Garmsar – Inche Bourun railway line. This...Read moreIstanbul-Tehran-Islamabad container train may finally run
The national railways of Turkey, Iran and Pakistan have agreed to resume regular operations of the Istanbul-Tehran-Islamabad (ITI) container train as soon as possible. All necessary preparations for dispatching the ITI Container train have been...Read more
First direct rail freight link from Turkmenistan to China
In over a month after launching the direct rail freight link to Afghanistan, China inaugurated a container train to another Central Asian state – Turkmenistan. The new service connects Kelif railway station in the eastern...Read more
From China to Iran via Kyrgyzstan: is the faster rail link real?
Despite all complexities and tensions, China does not cease its efforts to establish a new railway from Xinjiang to Uzbekistan. The future line is expected to run via mountainous Kyrgyzstan and connect the Chinese city...Read more
Iran to connect freight hubs by rail
Iran wants to link its major freight hubs by railway. This has been set as a main priority for this Iranian calendar year. The government wants to boost domestic production and investing in the rail...Read moreDoing business with Iran not impossible
With the US sanctions on Iran reimposed, European firms must analyse their transaction before putting it on a train to Iran. However, there are ways to deal with these limitations. Sebastiaan Bennink and Yvo Amar,...Read more
Uzbekistan, China one step closer to building railway corridor via Kyrgyzstan
Uzbekistan and China are one step closer to constructing the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway line, a new branch of New Silk Road that opens another, shorter route to Iran. The counterparts agreed to sign a Memorandum of...Read more
New railway service Iran-China launched, connecting Inner Mongolia-Bam
A new freight train service linking north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region with the Iranian city of Bam was launched on Tuesday, 4 September. A train departed from a logistics park in Inner Mongolia and...Read more
Electrification of Iranian Garmsar – Inche Burun line starts in July
The electrification of the Iranian Garmsar – Inche Burun railway line will commence in July this year, according to the Turkmen media outlet Orient. The railway line connects Iran to Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Moreover, it...Read moreNew Iran-China rail freight connection
A new freight train service connecting China and Iran became operative last Thursday, 10 May. It departed from Bayannur city in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and left for Tehran, the capital of the...Read more
Iran calls for fast completion International North–South Transport Corridor
Iranian Railways (RAI) has called for faster completion of the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a 7,200 kilometer-long freight route connecting India, Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia via ship, rail and road. The missing link is...Read moreIran reports major boost in freight transport per rail
Rail freight transport volumes in Iran have increased rapidly since March this year. In the period 21st of March – 8th of August, transit of goods via railway increased by 55 per cent compared the...Read more