Iran hosts first rail transit from India to Afghanistan
For the first time, a commercial rail route between India and Afghanistan has been established through Iran, with the debut transit train carrying oil seeds to Afghanistan.
According to ILNA, the train arrived at Roznak Station in Herat on Tuesday as the shipment, consisting of oil seeds, was initially transported by ship to Bandar Abbas and then moved via Iran’s rail network to Roznak Station in Afghanistan.
The transit marks the beginning of a new era in transit cooperation between India and Afghanistan via Iran.
Managed by the Afghanistan Railway Development Consortium and supported by Iran’s Ministry of Roads and Urban Development and the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways, over 30,000 tons of goods have been transported by rail between Iran and Afghanistan since the Khaf-Herat rail corridor became operational earlier this year.
The corridor has enhanced trade security between the two countries and is expected to reduce transportation costs for traders and producers.
The Khaf-Herat rail corridor, which connects Iran’s rail network to Herat in western Afghanistan, plays a key role in regional connectivity.
Additionally, the corridor is part of the East-West global rail network, creating a 2,000-kilometer route linking China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, and Europe.
This rail line not only improves the security of cargo transportation but also reduces costs and transit times by 10%, making it more attractive to regional traders.
Mostafa Rezaei, CEO of the Afghanistan Railway Development Consortium, stated that the first rail transit shipment from India entered Afghanistan through the Shamtiq rail border in Khaf, Khorasan Razavi Province, on Tuesday evening.
“The shipment included six containers of almonds and oil seeds, which were transported from India by ship to Bandar Abbas and then via Iran’s rail network to Roznak Station in Herat.”
The Shamtiq border customs checkpoint between Iran and Afghanistan opened in 2020 in Khaf, a border city in southeastern Khorasan Razavi Province. Located approximately 50 kilometers from Khaf, Shamtiq serves as the official customs checkpoint along the Khaf-Herat railway. Khaf, a city of 150,000, is situated 267 kilometers south of Mashhad.