A key railroad project that would connect Iran to Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan is scheduled to be launched during the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s trip to Golestan province in December, a senior government official said without specifying the exact date.
“The inauguration of the Iran-Turkmenistan-Kazakhstan railroad is on the president’s agenda during his trip to Golestan province,” IRNA quoted Ali Asghar Ahmadi, the coordination deputy of the vice president, as saying.
Earlier this month, Vice President for Executive Affairs Mohammad Shariatmadari said the railroad would be operational by the end of 2014. “Once the project is finished, it will have the capacity to transport 10 million tons of cargo per year,” Shariatmadari said.
The railroad, known as the North-South Transnational Corridor, is 677 km long, connecting Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan to Iran, moving down south to be linked to the Persian Gulf.
An intergovernmental agreement on the project was signed in 2007 by the then presidents of the three countries.
The project will open access to the Persian Gulf and Central Asia for countries in Asia and Europe. Similar opportunities will also appear for the transit of goods from countries in Southeast and South Asia, and the Indian Ocean littoral states to Eastern and Northern Europe via Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Russia.
This route is much shorter than passing through the Suez Canal. The railway will play an important role in connecting the Caspian Sea and surrounding states - from the border with Kazakhstan to Bereket in western Turkmenistan.
Caption: The railroad, known as the North-South Transnational Corridor, is 677 km long, connecting Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan to Iran, moving down south to be linked to the Persian Gulf.