BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 17. The transit through Iranian railroads increased by 47 percent during the five months of the current Iranian year (from March 20 through August 21, 2024) compared to the same period of last year (March 21 through August 22, 2023), the statement of Iran's Ministry of Roads and Urban Development said, Trend reports.
A total of 773,000 tons of freight was transported through Iranian railroads during the five months. However, for the same period last year, transit amounted to 526,000 tons.
During five months, 637,000 tons of non-oil goods and 136,000 tons of oil products were transported via Iranian railroads.
The largest amount of cargo entered the country via the Sarakhs border (border with Turkmenistan) and Astara border (border with Azerbaijan) through railroads for transit. Thus, 536,000 tons of products arrived in the country through the Sarakhs border and 129,000 tons via the Astara border.
The report highlights that Iran's northeastern and northwestern borders are the bread and butter of international railroad trade and can serve as a cornerstone for the economic growth of the nation's border regions.
A whopping 17 million tons of cargo made its way by rail across the country in just five months.
To note, the length of railway lines in Iran is currently 14,984 kilometers. A total of 978 locomotives, 29,305 freight cars, and 2,153 passenger cars are operating on Iran's railroad lines.