Cargo transit from Central Asian countries to the southern port city of Bandar Abbas through Iran's rail network will be entitled to 35% discount, says deputy head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways, Hossein Ashouri.
The official added that transit of goods from Central Asian countries to Pakistan and Turkey via Iran will receive 40% and 50% discount respectively, IRNA reported.
He made the remarks following a meeting with Turkmenistan's railway officials in Sarakhs border terminal in Khorasan Razavi Province, where a memorandum of understanding was signed by the two sides authorizing Iran's freight trains to use Turkmen railroads.
According to Ashouri, using Turkmen rail network will not only facilitate transit of cargo between Iran and Central Asian countries, it also reduces transportation time by 30%.
On average, about 70,000 freight wagons from the Commonwealth of Independent States cross Sarakhs railway terminal annually, carrying export, import and transit cargo.
"Since the inauguration of Sarakhs terminal in 1996, only the CIS countries and Turkmenistan were permitted to use the railway route. But the newly penned MoU allows Iranian freight wagons use the route as well," Ashouri noted.
Sarakhs border terminal is strategically located at the junction of the north-south (Sarakhs-Bandar Abbas-Imam Khomeini Port) and east-west (Sarakhs-Razi-Jolfa) railway corridors, facilitating transport of cargo between Russia, Central Europe, Central Asia and Caucasus region plus South and Southeast Asia, Eastern Asia and Persian Gulf countries.
