Iran Rail Transit Rises 61%
EghtesadOnline: About 1.15 million tons of goods have been transited via Iranian railroads since the beginning of the current fiscal year (March 21), registering a 61% upsurge compared with the corresponding period of last year, the director of Islamic Republic of Iran Railways’ Transit Commission said.
“The figure is expected to reach 1.6 million by the yearend (March 20, 2018),” Hossein Ashouri was also quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency on Monday. The Sixth Five-Year Development Plan (2017-22) is targeting 5 million tons in annual rail transit. “We are behind schedule. To arrive at this goal, we need to provide the required infrastructure and gain the trust of cargo owners,” he said. Ashouri noted that the current transit capacity in Iran allows for 50 million tons of goods to be transported per year, yet software problems and bureaucratic obstacles prevent the transportation sector from utilizing this capacity. Cargoes transported from southern Iranian ports to Turkey and Central Asia hold the biggest share in Iran’s rail transit. Iran has rail connections with Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Turkey and Iraq, Financial Tribune reported.