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Iran, Turkmenistan agree on construction of new railway lines at Sarakhs
The agreement was reached during a bilateral meeting in Turkmenistan’s Turkmenbashi Port on the sidelines of the United Nations’ Third Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries.
Jabbarali Zakeri, the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways, said after meeting the Turkmen railway minister that the plan includes adding one standard-gauge line and one broad-gauge line between the Sarakhs stations on each side of the border.
Zakeri, who is also deputy minister of transport and urban development, stressed that expanding the number of exchange tracks is vital for strengthening rail links between the two neighbors.
The official said expert-level meetings between the two rail administrations will be held to advance implementation, with the talks having addressed the backlog of export freight at Sarakhs.
Zakeri said Turkmenistan’s railway will add 200 to 300 Uzbek freight wagons to the joint transport fleet to help increase international cargo capacity and speed up rail trade along the route.
The Sarakhs crossing is a key gateway for cargo flows between Iran, Central Asia and beyond, forming part of the International North–South Transit Corridor (INSTC) and other regional rail networks.
The planned infrastructure expansion is expected to boost both bilateral trade and multimodal transit operations through the corridor.