Iran and Turkmenistan have agreed to prepare a joint action plan focused on strengthening rail cooperation and raising annual transit volumes to 20 million tonnes, including six million tonnes by rail. The deal was negotiated during ministerial negotiations in Tehran.
Mammet Akmammedov, Turkmenistan’s railway minister, met with his Iranian counterpart to discuss completing cross-border rail links, reviving regional agreements, and activating new transit corridors. Farzaneh Sadegh, Iran’s transport minister, said that deeper rail cooperation between the two countries would reshape trade flows in the wider region.
“Transit ties between Iran and Turkmenistan are not limited to the two countries, but will reshape the flow of transport and commerce across the region,” she stated.
The two sides confirmed that Iran Railways and Turkmenistan Railways will finalize a plan to achieve the 20-million-tonne target. Jabarali Zakari, head of Iran Railways, has been tasked with preparing the roadmap.
Sadegh also emphasized the need to activate the China–Turkmenistan–Kazakhstan–Iran rail corridor, describing it as a route that could “change the future of the region.” She called on restoring the ECO rail corridor that links Almaty, Tashkent, Tehran, and Istanbul, and restoring the Ashgabat Agreement to enhance regional transit. Suggestions also included the development of passenger services, like a Mashhad–Mary train, and expanding rail capacity at border points.
Iran offered daily exchanges of as many as 400 wagons at Sarakhs and 150 at Incheh Boron, an action aimed at facilitating logistics expansion and optimizing cross-border cargo. Akmammedov reaffirmed Turkmenistan’s desire to deepen rail cooperation and investment in cross-border lines with the goal of attracting Russian and Belarusian cargo through the Incheh Boron terminal.
On the sidelines of the talks, Zakari confirmed that Iran aims to raise its annual rail freight transit with Turkmenistan to four million tonnes, up from 1.6 million tonnes last year. He highlighted efforts to resolve logistical challenges at Sarakhs, Lotfabad, and Incheh Boron, including customs hurdles and infrastructure upgrades.
“We aim to increase bogie exchange capacity at Sarakhs from 400 to 600 wagons per day,” Zakari said. He also announced that the Lotfabad terminal would introduce freight discounts expected to add up to 200,000 tonnes of new transit, marking a first for that crossing.
Both countries also talked about the new Mashhad–Mary passenger train service that would provide increased connectivity between both nations and complement freight operations.
With these projects, Iran and Turkmenistan railway cooperation will be significantly increased, and both countries will become key players in railway transit and logistics in the region.
