Iran and Turkmenistan have reached an agreement to initiate a trial passenger rail service between their nations, while also doubling freight capacity, signaling a major boost to regional connectivity.
Farzaneh Sadegh, Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development, announced the development following her return from a visit to Turkmenistan, where she attended the Conference of Peace and Trust.
According to Fars news, the two countries agreed to launch a passenger rail trial between Mashhad-Sarakhs (Iran) and Mary (Turkmenistan), with a long-term vision to extend the route to Uzbekistan.
In addition to the passenger rail initiative, the agreement also includes doubling freight capacity from 200 to 400 rail wagons.
Sadegh’s visit also included meetings with Turkmenistan’s Foreign Minister and transport sector officials. The discussions covered gas supplies, electricity transmission, technical and engineering service exports, and the Atrak-Gumdag road project.
According to the minister, the Atrak road project has been awarded to an Iranian contractor, and construction will commence soon.
The two countries have also agreed to convene a meeting of the joint economic commission in Tehran within the next two months to further solidify and expand upon the agreements reached.