Iran, Azerbaijan to commence rail transit

Iran's deputy minister for transport announced the launch of Nakhchivan-Tehran-Mashahd passenger train in 2016.


In an interview with Iran's Labour News Agency (ILNA), Mohsen Poorseyyed Aghaei revealed Iran's plans to develop passenger and cargo services between Iran and Azerbaijan.


He also said the rail connection between Iran and Nakhchivan (a semi-autonomous part of the Republic of Azerbaijan) can be linked to Turkey and Georgia, making this route one of the busiest rail lines in the region.


He predicted that within the next two to three years, the capacity of rail cargo export and transit from northwest Iran will reach 1 million tonnes.


As part of development plans of the Arasbaran Free Trade Zone (located near Iran-Azerbaijan border), several local rail connections are being built to efficiently link various parts of this free zone to rail services, an attractive incentive for foreign investment, he added.


He also said his department is working closely with the Azeri counterpart to finalise the passenger exchange protocol, so the Tehran-Nakhchivan train can be launched within 2016.

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