Iran is advancing plans to link its rail network to Afghanistan through Uzbekistan, while seeking to clear bottlenecks in its rail cooperation with Kazakhstan, according to the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways.
Jabbar-Ali Zakeri, who also serves as deputy minister of transport and urban development, outlined the plans on the sidelines of a two-day summit of ministers from Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) member states in Kazakhstan. The talks focused on expanding transport cooperation and raising regional transit capacity.
Central to the discussions was the proposed Iran-Afghanistan rail connection via Uzbekistan, alongside obstacles affecting bilateral rail cooperation between Tehran and Astana. Zakeri said both countries had also reviewed ways to develop their rail networks and border links, and he expressed hope that some of the summit’s agreements would move into implementation by next year.
The Iranian official pointed to Kazakhstan’s efforts to strengthen international corridors, including the annual “New Silk Road” conference hosted by Kazakhstan Railways and the country’s transport ministry. He noted that the Dostyk route—the second border crossing between Kazakhstan and China—opened last year, with rail-laying now underway on a 150-kilometer continuation expected to become operational next year. That project, he said, could boost capacity along the East-West corridor.
Zakeri also highlighted the resilience of Kazakhstan’s rail transit, which has grown by about 20 percent to roughly 30 million tons despite restrictions on Russia’s and Belarus’s links with Europe. He described the trend as evidence of the region’s strong rail transport potential.
On digitalization, he cited Kazakhstan’s move to eliminate paper documents in exchanges between executive bodies, saying the change has cut wagon border-crossing times to about 30 minutes. He added that CIS member states’ shift toward an integrated digital system could ease rail transport and regional trade, and expressed hope that Iran could benefit from such systems given its border and transport connections with neighboring countries.
Zakeri also recalled the long-standing rail ties between Iran and Kazakhstan and reported a noticeable increase in freight movement capacity between the two countries.
