Tehran and Ankara agree to start construction of transcontinental rail corridor

Iran and Turkey have agreed to start construction of a new joint rail link that will serve as a strategic gateway between Asia and Europe, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday.

The planned route, known in Iran as the Marand-Chesshmeh Soraya transit rail line and heading towards Turkey’s Aralik border region, will cover about 200 kilometers (120 mi}).

It will cost about $1.6 billion and is expected to take three to four years to complete, Iranian authorities said.

Earlier this month, Iran’s Transport Minister Farzaneh Sadegh said the rail line would turn the southern part of what was once the Silk Road into a “corridor that will ensure the continuity of the network between China and Europe”.

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It would also ensure “fast and cheap transportation of all types of cargo with minimal stops,” he added.

At a joint press conference on Saturday with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, Araghchi said “the need to remove barriers to trade and investment between the two countries was emphasized.”

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“The two countries also emphasized the importance of rail connectivity… in the region and expressed the hope that the construction of this line can start as soon as possible,” he added.

The ancient Silk Road was a vast system of trade routes that for centuries connected East Asia with the Middle East and Europe, facilitating the flow of goods, culture and knowledge across the continents.

In 2013, China announced the construction of the “Belt and Road Initiative”, officially known as the “New Silk Road” – a project aimed at building maritime, road and rail infrastructure to boost global trade.

Iran is seeking to expand infrastructure and trade with neighboring countries as part of efforts to revive an economy battered by decades of international sanctions.