2 Projects Turning Iran’s Eastern Provinces Into Transit Hub

Mehdi Parsi, the director general of Roads and Urban Development of Sistan and Baluchestan, announced that 30 kilometers of the highway on the Zahedan-Birjand route will be put into operation by the end of the Iranian calender year as part of the government’s transportation development plan across the country’s eastern strip, according to Press TV.

“This project will not only help reduce accidents and increase travel safety, but also play an important role in facilitating trade and improving the quality of life in the province,” Parsi said, underlining that the timely financing of the project could bring it on stream in a shorter time frame.

The total length of the Zahedan-Birjand route is 211 km, of which 150 km has been converted into a highway and is currently in operation. The highway project is currently under construction with over 40% physical progress and requires the allocation of necessary funds to expedite its completion.

Mansour Bijar, the governor-general of Sistan and Baluchestan, also visited the Zahedan-Birjand project to review the status of its executive operations.

Emphasizing the significance of the highway as one of the country's vital transit arteries, Bijar said, "The completion of the project, as the province's top priority, will help solidify Sistan and Baluchestan's position as a key link in Iran's eastern transit corridor."

Another high-profile infrastructure project is the Chabahar-Sarakhs railway, which has been branded as a catalyst for the economic and transit transformation of eastern Iran.

Connecting Chabahar Port to Sarakhs, the railway project can facilitate trade exchanges for landlocked countries in Central Asia and Afghanistan and contribute to the sustainable development of the region.

Governor-General of South Khorasan Province, Mohammad Reza Hashemi, described the project as a vital artery that fortifies the country's transit infrastructure and helps access to international corridors.

Mehdi Baqeri, a transportation and transit expert, also stressed that the completion of the railway can bring about tremendous changes in the economy of the Makran coasts and the transit of goods in the southeast of the country.

Baqeri added that the entry of the non-governmental sector into investment in Chabahar-Sarakhs railway project could help boost the security and prosperity of the region.

Taking into account the strategic geographical location of the projects, the Zahedan-Birjand highway and the Chabahar-Sarakhs railway can serve as main transit and trade axes in eastern Iran.