Iran, Afghanistan launch monthly rail transit of 7K tons of diesel
Iran has begun monthly rail shipments of 7,000 tons of diesel from Imam Khomeini Port to Afghanistan, marking a new phase in rail-based fuel transit to the landlocked neighbor, a senior railway official said Saturday.
Gholamhossein Valadi, director general of Iran’s Southern Railways, confirmed the launch in a media briefing, stating that the first consignment has already been loaded at the Imam Khomeini Port rail terminal onto specialized tank wagons, Mehr news agency reported.
“The first cargo of diesel has been loaded at the Imam Khomeini Port rail station and will travel via tank wagons along the country’s southern rail corridor to the Shamtigh border crossing, before entering Afghanistan and continuing to Rozanak station near the city of Herat,” Valdi said.
He noted that the transit route spans approximately 2,148 kilometers and offers significant time and cost savings compared to road transport. “This rail corridor brings considerable logistical efficiency and creates new capacity for fuel exports and transit,” he added.
According to Valdi, the Southern Railways is fully prepared to carry out the 7,000-ton monthly diesel transit operation on a sustained basis to meet Afghanistan’s fuel and commercial needs.