Official: Iran rail transit capacity to rise to 20 million tons

Saeed Mohammadzadeh, deputy minister of roads and urban development and managing director of Iran Railway Company told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) that Iran has tried to get a bigger share of cargoes transited from India and Southeast Asia to Russia and Europe.

Mohammadzadeh, who is in Ankara to take part in 13th Meeting of the UIC Regional Assembly for the Middle-East (UIC RAME), said some corridors have been constructed along east-west and south-north routes and with completion of Rasht-Astara railroad they can better serve the country's rail transport and transit sector.

The transit of goods via railway network in Iran registered a 50 percent increase to reach 1.6 million tons last year and the figure is expected to rise drastically in coming years, he said.

The Iranian official said due to its special geographical location, access to Caspian Sea to the north and Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman to the south and neighborhood with important countries Iran enjoys ideal conditions for development of international rail connections.

Both Tehran and Ankara plan to increase the amount of cargoes transported between the two countries to one million tons a year from 600,000 tons in 2017.
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