Gül Train (Formerly ECO Train) (Urdu : گل ٹرین) is an international freight train service between Islamabad, Pakistan and Istanbul, Turkey via Tehran, Iran. The train named after Turkish President Abdullah Gül and was launched on 14 August 2009 on trial basis. It is an important project of Economic Cooperation Organization. [1]
Islamabad is the capital city of Pakistan, and is federally administered as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Built as a planned city in the 1960s to replace Karachi as Pakistan's capital, Islamabad is noted for its high standards of living, safety, and abundant greenery.
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the world’s sixth-most populous country with a population exceeding 212,742,631 people. In area, it is the 33rd-largest country, spanning 881,913 square kilometres. Pakistan has a 1,046-kilometre (650-mile) coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the west, Iran to the southwest, and China in the far northeast. It is separated narrowly from Tajikistan by Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor in the northwest, and also shares a maritime border with Oman.
Istanbul, formerly known as Byzantium and Constantinople, is the most populous city in Turkey and the country's economic, cultural and historic center. Istanbul is a transcontinental city in Eurasia, straddling the Bosporus strait between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea. Its commercial and historical center lies on the European side and about a third of its population lives in suburbs on the Asian side of the Bosporus. With a total population of around 15 million residents in its metropolitan area, Istanbul is one of the world's most populous cities, ranking as the world's fourth largest city proper and the largest European city. The city is the administrative center of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. Istanbul is viewed as a bridge between the East and West.
The Gül Train connecting Islamabad, Tehran and Istanbul by covering 6,500 kilometer or 4,040 mile in 16 days. There is a break-of-gauge between Iran Railways, Standard gauge and Pakistan Railways, Broad gauge at Zahedan. A container terminal is proposed in Zahedan for transshipment of containers from Standard gauge to Broad gauge. A passenger train service is also under consideration on this route. [2]
The Islamic Republic of Iran Railways is the national state-owned railway system of Iran. The Raja Passenger Train Company is an associate of the IR, and manages its passenger trains. The Railway Transportation Company is an associate of the IR to manage its freight transport. The Ministry of Roads & Urban Development is the state agency that oversees the IRIR. Some 33 million tons of goods and 29 million passengers are transported annually by the rail transportation network, accounting for 9 percent and 11 percent of the whole transportations in Iran (2011).
Pakistan Railways is the national, state-owned railway company of Pakistan. Founded in 1861 and headquartered in Lahore, it owns 4,800 miles (7,791 km) of track across Pakistan from Torkham to Karachi and operates freight and passenger service. Pakistan Railways was also known as the Pakistan Western Railway from 1947 to 1974.
Zahedan also romanized as Zāhedān, Zahidan, and Zaidān; also known as Zāhedān-e Yek; formerly known as Dowzdāb, Duzdāb, and Duzdāp and renamed Zahedan by Reza Shah Pahlavi in the late 1920s is a city and capital of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 552,706, in 109,488 families. "Zahedan" is the plural of the Arabic word zahed meaning 'pious'.
The main obstacle in project is the poor railway infrastructure between Quetta and Taftan in Pakistan.
Quetta is the provincial capital and largest city of Balochistan, Pakistan. Quetta was largely destroyed in the 1935 Quetta earthquake, but was rebuilt and now has a population of 1,001,205 as of 2017, while the Quetta District has a population of 2,275,699. Quetta is at an average elevation of 1,680 metres above sea level, making it Pakistan's only high-altitude major city. The city is known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan," due to the numerous fruit orchards in and around it, and the large variety of fruits and dry fruits produced there.
Taftan, is a town located in Chagai District, Balochistan, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's only legal official border crossing into Iran. Over 600 km from Quetta and 9–12 hours drive.
