Iran Proposes Rail Link to China via Afghanistan to Shorten Trade Routes

Iran has proposed a rail connection to China through Afghanistan, which Iranian officials state could shorten goods transport routes between China and Iran by about 50 percent and enable direct train services to Europe.

The plan aims to activate the southern branch of the East-West Corridor. According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), more than 63 trains from China destined for Iran and the European Union have entered Iran since the start of this year, compared to only seven last year.

Iranian officials attribute the increase in train traffic to the signing of multilateral memorandums of understanding for common tariffs among countries along the route. IRNA reports that agreements among six countries on the China-Europe route are expected to raise the number of passing trains to about 300 per year.

Shahriar Naghizadeh, Director General of Foreign Trade at the Iranian Railway, told IRNA the proposal seeks to improve commercial and transport relations between Iran and China. He said using normal-gauge rail via Afghanistan would reduce technical transit issues at the China-Kazakhstan and China-Turkmenistan borders, providing an alternative regional transport route.