Turkmenistan, Iran increase rail cargo turnover

The volume of international cargo turnover, including incoming and outgoing transit, exports, and imports at the Sarakhs (Turkmenistan) - Sarahs (Iran) railway border crossing is 7.5 million tons per year.

According to Report, almost 3 million tons of international cargo were exchanged with Turkmenistan and other Central Asian countries through the Sarakhs station last year.

Every year, 5 million tons of transit cargo from Kazakhstan to Türkiye are expected to be transported through Iran, most of which will come through the Sarahs-Sarakhs railway border.

Recently, the first transit train on the Russia-India route delivered its cargo, including construction materials, to Iran via Sarakhs to continue its transit to India through the country's southern ports.

The intensification of rail traffic along the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran corridor (KTI) will increase freight traffic between Asia and Europe. Back in November 2021, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan signed a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of railroads in Ashgabat on the sidelines of the ECO summit.

During the 16th meeting of the Turkmen-Iranian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation held in Tehran in October 2021, the Iranian and Turkmenistan transport ministers signed a comprehensive memorandum of understanding that included rail transit and road transportation.

In June 2022, senior Iranian and Turkmenistan transportation officials met in Tehran to renew mutual transportation ties to facilitate transit along corridors in the region.

Over the past few months, the two countries have taken practical steps to reopen transportation links, resulting in a 50 per cent increase in transit.

For example, rail transit through the Sarakhs Border Terminal, reopened in June 2022, has increased to 200 rail cars per day, and there is potential to increase its capacity to 400 rail cars. The Inche Borun border terminal exchanges 50 to 200 railcars per day with Turkmenistan's Akyayla station.

Cooperation between Iran and Turkmenistan will facilitate transit along the East-West and North-South transport corridors, particularly along the new alternative route China-Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Europe.