In a meeting between the Azeri and Iranian Presidents in Russia last week, the two countries agreed that they have mutual security interests which should not be affected by relations with the West. One of the biggest trading routes out of Iran is the railway line currently under construction to Azara in Azerbaijan, and this […]
Faced with a budget deficit, Iran’s railway operator Iran Railways has announced that it will focus on constructing the Mianeh - Tabriz railway in the Northwest of the country that will enable freight to be transported to Central Asia and Europe. This should boost trade for the railway and country, making Iran a major hub […]
A new luxury train service is to run between Budapest and Tehran. The two week trip will set passengers back €10,000 to €23000 and provide luxury travel by train that hasn’t been matched since the Orient Express last travelled across Eurasia in 2009. Over the two week trip the train will leave Hungary, and pass […]
Two Chinese companies have agreed to invest $2bn in Iran’s railways. The deal comes after a bilateral agreement between China and Iran in February to double bilateral trade in the next three years. Chinese companies CMC and SUPOWER have agreed to help upgrade the 900 km track between Tehran and Mashhad. New signalling systems will […]
With signs of a thaw in relations between Iran and the West likely to improve outside investment opportunities in the country, officials from India are in talks with the Iranian government to upgrade and improve Iran’s railway network. Iran currently has 13000 km of lines but plans to increase this to 25000 km by 2025. […]
Minister of Transport Abbas Aknoundi announced that an Iran - European railway link will be improved with the upgrade of the Tabriz - Miyaneh route. An additional line is being laid on the 200km route and though used by diesel locomotives at present, the Minister said that it can easily be electrified to allow high […]
Omani officials have refuted Iranian claims that the two countries are discussing a railway bridge building project over the Straits of Hormuz, as widely reported in local and regional media. An Iranian delegation visited Oman to look at investment opportunities in Oman’s new railway network. Rumours of the bridge emerged from local media talking to […]
With a 300 km high speed railway between Eilat and Ashdod in Israel, China will finance a new overland link between Mediterranean and Red Sea ports. Once complete, the “New Silk Road”, a high speed rail network from Beijing through Central Asia to Europe, will be able to get passengers by rail from Beijing to […]
With the new railway linking Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan the whole region would benefit if sanctions against Iran were lifted, because oil could move freely overland and by sea between Kazakhstan, India and the West via Iran. The railway network is nearing completion and will be fully operational within the year, according to officials. With […]
With 35% of the world’s oil passing through the Straits of Hormuz, the new railway network in Oman will improve security of passage. Once the network is built, tankers will be able to dock on the Gulf side of the Straits and pass oil by rail inland to the Indian Ocean, avoiding security issues associated […]
