BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 15. Following agreements between six countries (China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Türkiye) on the construction of a railway from China to Europe, a freight train carrying cargo from China to Europe entered Iran on December 14, the Director General of the Iranian Railways Company's Foreign Trade Department, Shahriyar Nagizadeh, told local media, Trend reports.
According to him, this freight train is considered the second train to transport cargo from China to Europe. Earlier, in February, the first train transported cargo from China to Europe via Iran on a trial basis.
Nagizadeh also said that a freight train from Russia entered the country from Turkmenistan. The entry of two freight trains into the country for transit on the same day is considered an important step in the development of the railway sector.
The official stressed that the country's successes in the railway sector include the commissioning of container trains from Russia to Iran for transit to southern Iranian ports and Afghanistan, the launch of container trains from Turkey to Iran for transit to Afghanistan, and the resumption of traffic on the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul railway line.
Nagizadeh added that most trains arriving in Iran from Russia are bound for India. Thus, cargo is transported by rail to southern Iranian ports and then by sea to its final destination.
Over the past Iranian year (March 20, 2024, through March 20, 2025), 5 million tons of cargo were transported in transit, imported, and exported via Iranian railways. Of this, 2.4 million tons were in transit, and 2.6 million tons were imported and exported.