Rail Transit MoU With Kazakhstan

Iran and Kazakhstan have signed a memorandum of understanding to boost inter-state transportation of rail cargo by lowering transit tariffs.

The MoU was signed in a meeting between representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways and Kazakh railroad officials in Tehran, The Ministry of Roads and Urban Development’s news service reported on Tuesday. The report did not elaborate on the tariff rates.

The agreement is aimed at increasing cargo transit via railroad passing through Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran, which enters the Iranian soil in the northern border cities of Sarakhs and Incheh Borun.

Currently, Iran offers up to 35% discount to commodities such as cotton, sulfur, fertilizers and mazut shipped from some Central Asian states, if they are destined for Pakistan, Turkey and the southern port of Bandar Abbas where the commodities are transported by sea.