Border Meeting of Iranian and Turkish Railway Officials in Tabriz
The Director General of the Azerbaijan Regional Railway of Iran announced that with the implementation of the new memorandum of understanding signed between the CEOs of the Iranian and Turkish Railways, a new railway line will be established between the two countries. In its first operational phase, this line will increase the annual volume of freight exchanges to 10 million tons. Alireza Soleymani, speaking on the sidelines of the 48th border meeting of the Directors General of the Azerbaijan Regional Railway of Iran and the Fifth Malatya Regional Railway of Turkey in Tabriz, added that in the second phase of the project, the freight capacity will reach 15 million tons, with the activation of the Razi and Kapıköy railway border crossings on the agenda.
Referring to the problems of the current route, Soleymani stated that Lake Van is the main obstacle to railway transport between Iran and Turkey, since part of the movement of freight and passengers must be carried out by ship. According to him, the Islamic Republic of Iran has prioritized the creation of an alternative land-based railway route, and necessary negotiations and actions have already been taken. This plan aims to connect the East–West corridor through the Tabriz–Marand–Cheshmeh Sara railway line to Turkey and then to the Black Sea.
Soleymani emphasized that the decisions made in these meetings focus on facilitating border crossings and railway routes so that freight and passenger trains can move smoothly along the Tehran–Tabriz–Turkey line. He described Iran as the main section of the East–West corridor, a route that begins in China and, after passing through Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan, reaches Turkey and Europe via Iran. He reported that last year’s freight exchanges amounted to about 670,000 tons, and noted that the target for next year is to increase this figure to 1 million tons.
The Director General of the Fifth Malatya Regional Railway also stressed the friendly relations between Iran and Turkey, stating that the volume of railway freight exchanges between the two countries is not at a satisfactory level, and increasing it is a priority for both governments. He added that in this meeting, existing problems are being reviewed so that, through cooperation with the Azerbaijan Regional Railway and by facilitating transport routes, exchanges can be increased. He identified Lake Van as one of the main challenges and noted that, according to the recent memorandum of understanding, in addition to the current route, a new land-based railway line will be established between Iran and Turkey to resolve the problems of freight and passenger transport.
