![]() | This article needs to be updated.(January 2022) |
Istanbul–Tehran–lslamabad Railway | |
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Overview | |
Status | Active |
Locale | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
History | |
Opened | 14 August 2009 |
Technical | |
Line length | 6,500 kilometres (4,000 mi) |
Istanbul–Tehran–lslamabad railway or (ITI Train) is an international freight train service between Islamabad, Pakistan and Istanbul, Turkey via Tehran, Iran. The train was launched on 14 August 2009 on trial basis. It is an important project of Economic Cooperation Organization. [1]
The train connects Islamabad, Tehran and Istanbul by covering 6,500 kilometers or 4,040 miles in 15 days. There is a break-of-gauge between Iran Railways, Standard gauge and Pakistan Railways, 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) 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. The main obstacle in project is the poor railway infrastructure between Quetta and Taftan in Pakistan. [2]
The 10th edition of the joint meetup of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) held in Istanbul national railways of Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan have mutually agreed to resume regular operations after a meeting Turkey’s Transport Minister, Adil Karaismailoğlu, informed all requirements for the railway triad have been fulfilled. The train is expected to resume operations in 2021. [3] [4] [5] The Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul Freight Train Project, which was implemented between Turkey, Iran and Pakistan in 2009 and stopped in 2011, was restarted with the train departing from Islamabad on 21 December 2021. [6] The train reached Ankara with a load of 150 tonnes of pink salt on 4 January, 14 days later. [7]
Transport in Pakistan is extensive and varied. In recent years, new national highways have been built, with the addition of motorways which have improved trade and logistics within the country. Pakistan's rail network is also undergoing expansion in recent years. Airports and seaports have been built with the addition of foreign and domestic funding. Transportation challenges in Pakistan are escalating due to poor planning, inadequate governance, and corrupt practices.
Iran has a long paved road system linking most of its towns and all of its cities. In 2011 the country had 173,000 kilometres (107,000 mi) of roads, of which 73% were paved. In 2008 there were nearly 100 passenger cars for every 1,000 inhabitants.
The Trans-Asian Railway(TAR) is a project to create an integrated freight railway network across Europe and Asia. The project is of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).
The Economic Cooperation Organization or ECO is a Eurasian political and economic intergovernmental organization that was founded in 1985 in Tehran by the leaders of Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey. It provides a platform to discuss ways to improve development and promote trade and investment opportunities. The ECO is an ad hoc organisation under the United Nations Charter. The objective is to establish a single market for goods and services, much like the European Union. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the ECO expanded to include Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in 1992.
The Eurasian Land Bridge, sometimes called the New Silk Road, is the rail transport route for moving freight and passengers overland between Pacific seaports in the Russian Far East and China and seaports in Europe. The route, a transcontinental railroad and rail land bridge, comprises the Trans-Siberian Railway, which runs through Russia and is sometimes called the Northern East-West Corridor, and the New Eurasian Land Bridge or Second Eurasian Continental Bridge, running through China and Kazakhstan. As of November 2007, about one percent of the $600 billion in goods shipped from Asia to Europe each year were delivered by inland transport routes.
Pakistan Railways is the state-owned railway operator in Pakistan. Founded in 1861 as the North Western State Railway and headquartered in Lahore, it owns 7,789 kilometres of operational track across Pakistan, stretching from Peshawar to Karachi, offering both freight and passenger services, covering 482 operational stations across Pakistan.
Zahedan is a city in the Central District of Zahedan County, Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran and serves as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is near the Iran-Pakistan border.
Rail freight transport is the use of railways and trains to transport cargo as opposed to human passengers.
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, which manages its freight transport. The Ministry of Roads & Urban Development is the state agency that oversees the IRIR. Some 33 million tonnes of goods and 29 million passengers are transported annually by the rail transportation network, accounting for 9 percent and 11 percent of all transportation in Iran, respectively (2011).
Turkey has a state-owned railway system built to standard gauge which falls under the remit of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. The primary rail carrier is the Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları (TCDD) which is responsible for all long-distance and cross-border freight and passenger trains. A number of other companies operate suburban passenger trains in urban conurbations.
Afghanistan has three railway lines in the north of the country. The first is between Mazar-i-Sharif and the border town of Hairatan in Balkh province, which then connects with Uzbek Railways of Uzbekistan. The second links Torghundi in Herat province with Turkmen Railways of Turkmenistan. The third is between Turkmenistan and Aqina in Faryab province of Afghanistan, which extends south to the city of Andkhoy. The country currently lacks a passenger rail service, but a new rail link from Herat to Khaf in Iran for both cargo and passengers was recently completed. Passenger service is also proposed in Hairatan – Mazar-i-Sharif section and Mazar-i-Sharif – Aqina section.
The Baku–Tbilisi–Kars (BTK), or Baku–Tbilisi–Akhalkalaki–Kars railway (BTAK), is a railway connecting Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, which became operational on 30 October 2017 following several years of delays. The project was originally due to be completed by 2010, but was delayed to 2013, 2015, 2016, and, following a fifth trilateral meeting in February 2016, foreign ministers of the three countries announced that the railway would finally be completed in 2017.
Railway electrification in Iran describes the past and present electrification systems used to supply traction current to rail transport in Iran with a chronological record of development, a list of lines using each system, and a history and a technical description of each system.
Mirjaveh is a city in the Central District of Mirjaveh County, Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.
The State Railways of the Republic of Turkey, abbreviated as TCDD, is a government-owned national railway company responsible for the ownership and maintenance of railways in Turkey, as well as the planning and construction of new lines. TCDD was formed on 4 June 1929 as part of the nationalisation of railways in Turkey.
Zahedan Mixed Passenger was an international mixed passenger train and freight train operated twice-a-month by Pakistan Railways between Quetta, Pakistan and Zahedan, Iran.
Zahedan Railway Station is located in Zahedan, Iran. It serves as the terminus for the Quetta–Taftan Railway Line and Bam-Zahedan railway. It also serves as the break of gauge between Pakistan Railways 1,676 mm broad gauge and Islamic Republic of Iran Railways 1,435 mmstandard gauge. It is one of the three stations in Iran which are served by Pakistan Railways.
TCDD Transport or Turkish State Railways Transport is a government-owned railway company responsible for the operations of most passenger and freight rail in Turkey. The company was formed on 14 June 2016, splitting off from Turkish State Railways (TCDD) to take over railway operations, while TCDD would continue to administer railway infrastructure. TCDD Taşımacılık officially began operations on 1 January 2017.
The Dhaka-Istanbul freight corridor project is a proposed 6,000 km transcontinental integrated freight railway network connecting Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey. The code name of this corridor is ITI-DKD-Y.
The Chabahar–Zahedan railway is a railway line currently under construction in Iran.