Inauguration of Iran-China freight train

This event marked the launch of the first phase of the China-Europe rail corridor.

The ceremony saw the presence of Seyyed Miad Salehi, Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development and CEO of the Railways of the Islamic Republic of Iran, along with the Chinese Deputy Ambassador, the Kazakh Ambassador, and the Turkmenistan Chargé d’Affaires to Iran.

On the sidelines of the ceremony, Salehi noted that the dual-load freight train would traverse through Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan towards China and vice versa.

He added that a mineral freight train would depart from Tehran’s to China on Sunday, addung about ten days ago, an automotive parts train had left China for Iran.

Salehi emphasized that this train could serve as a crucial infrastructure to enhance trade exchanges between Iran and China, potentially transforming Iran into a secure gateway for Chinese goods to Europe and vice versa.

He acknowledged the good cooperation from Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan in launching this train.

Furthermore, Salehi announced the commencement of the first phase of the China-Iran-Europe rail corridor.

He highlighted the Iranian Government’s focus on developing rail transport diplomacy and expressed hope for the complete operationalization of this corridor in the near future.

Salehi pointed out that the China-Iran-Europe rail corridor offers high security and shorter transit times compared to maritime transport, in addition to being more cost-effective for cargo owners.