{"id":323296,"date":"2025-11-26T18:46:28","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T08:46:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=67612"},"modified":"2025-11-26T18:46:28","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T08:46:28","slug":"iran-plans-new-railway-for-china-europe-traffic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=323296","title":{"rendered":"Iran plans new railway for China-Europe traffic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Iran is planning to build a new 200-kilometre long railway to facilitate China-Europe traffic. The country\u2019s transport minister, Farzaneg Sadegh, stated that Tehran wants to build a line to the Turkish border, which could become part of a rail-only corridor to Europe.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>The railway would run from Marand, northwest Iran, to Cheshmeh Sorayya on the border with T\u00fcrkiye. \u201cThis project will transform the Silk Road\u2019s southern wing into a full rail corridor, ensuring a continuous network from China to Europe for the fast, low-cost transport of cargo with minimal stops\u201d, Iranian media cited Sadegh as saying. Costs are expected to be as high as 1.6 billion dollars.<\/p>\n

Iran currently has one rail corridor to T\u00fcrkiye. It runs from Marand to the Turkish city Van, but that is where rail infrastructure ends. The Marand-Cheshmeh Sorayya railway would also not directly link to Turkish rail, since there is none on the other side of the border. However, officials from both countries met in April to discuss an extended connection to Kars.<\/p>\n

T\u00fcrkiye is working on a railway from Kars to the Azerbaijani exclave Nakhchivan, which borders Iran. It is possible that this new Iranian railway will, in due time, link up to that corridor. That would secure a rail-only corridor from Iran to Europe, facilitating China-Europe traffic along the southern overland route.<\/p>\n