Islamabad Tehran Istanbul cargo train is ready to resume its operation in 2021 under the ECO project. The aim is to boost the trade relations of these countries.
Islamabad Tehran Istanbul Cargo Train
Turkey’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoglu announced the revival of the Islamabad Tehran Istanbul cargo train in 2021 to benefit trade among these countries. Initially, only Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey will be a part of this project but other ECO member countries like Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan will benefit from the ITI project.
For the smooth functioning of these cargo trains, a fixed and regular schedule will be followed for the trains. To further facilitate the trade among these countries, Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan have decided to put the same tariffs on products.
ECO Project
Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) is an Asian political and economic bloc. Under this project, ITI was first launched in 2009 on the routes of the international corridor (recognized and identified by the UN). 10th edition meeting of railway ministers was held in Istanbul on December 15, 2020, in which the decision to resume ITI was made.
Route
The train will cover the route from Istanbul to Islamabad passing through Tehran. It is expected that the cargo train will cover a total distance of 6500 kilometers in 11 – 12 days and can take 20 attached containers. Each container is 40 feet.
The project can be extended to Europe through Turkey’s undersea railway tunnel. As the project is a safer and affordable trade option, many European countries showed their willingness to join the project.
