Iran, Turkmenistan to boost annual rail transit to 4m tons
Head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (RAI) announced that the rail transit between Iran and Turkmenistan would increase to four million tons.
In an interview with IRNA, Jabar-Ali Zakeri outlined plans to elevate annual rail transit between Tehran and Ashgabat to four million tons.
The RAI head highlighted the outcomes of the 18th meeting of the Iran-Turkmenistan Joint Economic Cooperation Commission, noting, "Transit cargo operations between Iran and Turkmenistan are currently at their peak efficiency."
"Last year (began on March 20, 2024), over 1.6 million tons of transit cargo were transported between the two countries," he said, adding, "We aim to expand the scope of bilateral cooperation to an annual four million tons."
The deputy minister of Roads and Urban Development further elaborated, "We anticipate that resolving border challenges at Sarakhs, Lotfabad, and Incheh Borun (in the northeast of Iran) will lead to increased rail exchanges. Recent discussions at the joint commission — hosted in Tehran — have focused on addressing existing obstacles, such as facilitating the movement of Iranian rail wagons in Turkmenistan and reactivating the Lotfabad border terminal."
Zakeri emphasized that bilateral negotiations will prioritize resolving customs-related issues, enhancing capacity at the Sarakhs terminals in both Iran and Turkmenistan, and developing the Incheh Borun terminal. He also highlighted plans to expand daily bogie exchange operations at Sarakhs from 400 to 600 wagons, a move designed to streamline cross-border rail logistics.
"These measures," he remarked, "will enable seamless bogie-exchanged wagon operations between the two countries."