Iran announced plans to launch three new international railway routes, one of which will connect the Iranian city of Mashhad with the Turkmen city of Mary. This step is aimed at significantly increasing passenger rail transport and strengthening economic ties in the region.

According to a statement by Jabbar Ali Zakeri, General Director of Iran’s National Railway Company (RAJA), the planned route between Mashhad and Mary will open new opportunities to strengthen Iran’s economic and trade relations with Central Asian countries.

It is expected that once fully operational, the route will facilitate easier access for Iranian passengers to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, highlighting Turkmenistan’s growing role as a key transit link in regional and interregional connections, reports Borna News.

Turkmenistan, actively developing its transport and logistics infrastructure, is steadily working to become an important transport corridor between Asia and Europe. The launch of such a route through Mary confirms the strategic importance of Turkmen railways for the development of passenger and freight transport on a regional scale.

Besides the Turkmen route, Iran plans to launch direct passenger train services from Tehran to Ankara, the capital of Turkey, as well as a route connecting the Iranian cities of Tehran and Mashhad with the Afghan city of Herat.

Earlier, after a visit to Ashgabat, Iran’s Minister of Transport, Farzaneh Sadeghi, stated that preliminary agreements had been reached with Turkmen authorities on the pilot launch of passenger railway service between the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad and the Turkmen city of Mary.