SAEDNEWS: Iran has awarded a contract to a Chinese company to electrify its east-west railway amid plans to increase freight transit from China to other countries via the Iranian railway.
CEO of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways Jabbar Ali Zakeri said in remarks published on Monday that the country plans to electrify nearly 1,000 kilometers ( 621 miles) of railways from Sarakhs border crossing in its northeast to the western Razi border on the frontier with Iraq, according to Press TV.
Zakeri said the project, which also includes double-tracking in some parts of the railway, is aimed at tripling rail freight transport on the corridor to 15 million metric tons per year.
The official made the remarks in a meeting with chairman of China State Railway Group Guo Zhuxue in Beijing.
During the meeting, Zhuxue said that China views Iran as a major partner in the "One Belt, One Road" initiative, a multi-trillion project seeking to improve transportation infrastructures linking China to Europe, Asia and Africa.
He also said that China is trying to increase its container cargo transit via the Iranian railway network.
Iran has invested heavily in its transport infrastructure in recent years as part of efforts to gain more revenues from a growing regional cargo transit.
Iranian railways have been used for north-south and east-west transport of cargo between major countries in the region, including China, Russia and India, in recent years.
Iran’s efforts to expand its road and railway transport networks are in line with a broader economic diversification plan by the Iranian government, which seeks to reduce the country’s reliance on energy exports.
China has committed to huge investments in the Iranian transportation infrastructure as part of a 25-year cooperation agreement signed between the two countries in 2021.
