Iran is working to establish alternative routes in the face of disruptions in maritime transport and pressure on traditional trade routes by launching the Iran-China rail corridor. Amir Roshanbakhsh Ghanbari, Deputy for International Business Development at the Iran Trade Development Organization, has announced that this corridor has significantly reduced the transit time of goods.
Reduction in Transit Time
Transporting goods between Iran and China by sea can take 45 to 50 days, while the rail route reduces this time to about 15 days. This reduction in time is considered a significant advantage for trade and faster movement of shipments.
The rail corridor starts from the dry port of Pishgaman in Yazd province and, after passing through the dry port of Isfahan, reaches the dry port of Yiwu in China via Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. This route was chosen due to previous connections with the trade and logistics networks of Shanghai, allowing traders to use it without major changes.
Challenges and Limitations
Despite the advantages of this corridor, there are challenges along the way. The capacity of rail transport is significantly less than that of maritime transport; each train can carry only about one thousand tons of cargo. Additionally, the difference in rail standards in parts of this route has created issues in the transport process. In some areas, containers must be transferred from one train to another, causing delays in transportation.
Iran is also seeking to reduce transportation costs by creating a two-way cargo flow. Previously, containers returned empty after delivering goods to Iran, but with recent changes, Iranian exporters can load cargo on the return trip as well.
As maritime trade in Iran faces severe pressures, this rail corridor is considered an alternative solution for securing essential goods and maintaining trade flow with China. However, the future of such a route and whether it can truly enhance Iran's economic resilience remains uncertain.
Read more: The
