{"id":166907,"date":"2025-01-14T18:15:11","date_gmt":"2025-01-14T08:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=59039"},"modified":"2025-01-14T18:15:11","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T08:15:11","slug":"ocean-access-for-landlocked-central-asian-countries-in-iranian-rail-corridor-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=166907","title":{"rendered":"Ocean access for landlocked Central Asian countries in Iranian rail corridor plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Iran is planning to build 3,200 kilometres of new rail tracks in order to form nine corridors across the country. In total, the corridors will have a length of approximately 17,000 kilometres. Central Asian countries could get a direct route to the Indian Ocean.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>Tehran is aiming at a quick completion of the project to boost its capacity up to 60 million tonnes per year: the country says it will need three to seven years to put the needed infrastructure in place.<\/p>\n

Notably, Iran wants to build a rail corridor along its eastern border, close to Pakistan and Afghanistan. That line could give the famously landlocked Central Asian countries access to the Indian Ocean – and earn Iran more transit revenue. A big part of this line is already in place.<\/p>\n

INSTC development<\/h2>\n

Moreover, it wants to create various corridors from the Astara hub at the Azerbaijan border to the Indian Ocean, a further development of the INSTC. The ports to be connected include Bandar-Khomeini, Bushehr, Bandar-Abbas and Chabahar.<\/p>\n

On the east – west axis, Iran plans to develop a rail corridor from the Turkmen border towards Razi and Cheshme-Soria on the Turkish border and Khosravi, near Iraq.<\/p>\n