Eastern INSTC
Pakistan and Russia plan first container train for next week
Pakistan is planning to send the first container train to Russia on 22 June. It is not quite the first such announcement. Earlier, the two…
Khaf-Herat
French freight finds Afghanistan via rail
French powdered milk was delivered to the Afghan city of Herat. It marks the first-ever instance of European freight making its way to Afghanistan via…
Rail versus maritime
US sanctions? Rail gives China and Iran other options
The overland route to get Chinese goods to Central Asia, the Caucasus or Europe is complicated. You can put your freight on trains, but there…
Rapid growth
Six countries sign agreement to develop rail on China – Iran – Europe route
Container traffic on the China – Iran route grew by 2.6 times in the first months of 2025. Such strong demand for rail services seems…
Azerbaijan - Iran - Nakhchivan
The Middle Corridor is on the way to getting a new branch
Development on the Middle Corridor, which connects China and Europe via rail through Central Asia, is in full swing. A part of that development is…
Eastern INSTC
Kazakhstan and partners organise multimodal rail connection with India
Kazakhstan and India have launched a new rail service between one another. Twelve 20-foot containers with ceramic tiles departed from the port of Mundra in…
Not the usual route
KTZ and CRCT launch new China – Europe service
Kazakh Railways (KTZ) and China Railway Container Transport (CRCT) have launched a new China – Europe train. Whereas these trains usually take the northern route…
One million tonnes
Türkiye and Iran still working to achieve common rail freight goals for 2021
Türkiye and Iran are aiming for a total rail freight turnover of one million tonnes between the two countries in 2025. Such a goal was…
Last missing piece of INSTC
Rasht – Astara construction to start after March 2025
At long last, the Iranian Rasht – Astara railway may finally start to see the light. Russia and Iran have reportedly agreed to begin building…
New document signed
Azerbaijan and Iran deepen INSTC cooperation
Azerbaijan and Iran are key partners when it comes to developing the International North – South Transport Corridor (INSTC). For that reason, the two parties…
Analysis
With Trump behind the wheel, are Iran’s rail plans and the INSTC in danger?
Iran recently announced plans to build nine cross-country rail corridors. Those would elevate the country to a serious rail transit country, especially within the framework…
Infrastructure expansion
Ocean access for landlocked Central Asian countries in Iranian rail corridor plan
Iran is planning to build 3,200 kilometres of new rail tracks in order to form nine corridors across the country. In total, the corridors will…