Pakistan: Turkey-Iran-Pakistan cargo train restarts after 10-year halt

ISLAMABAD, 22 December 2021, (TON): Following a 10-year hiatus, a freight train service between Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan was re-launched in a major boost for trade among the three countries and within the region.

The Istanbul-Tehran-Islamabad (ITI) cargo train was started in 2009 but suspended in 2011 due to several delays in Pakistan.

It can complete the journey between the three countries in about 14 days, much faster and less costly than the alternate sea route.

The train departed from Pakistan’s capital for Europe’s largest city with dozens of containers.

It will cover 1,990 kilometers (1,235 miles) inside Pakistan, before crossing through the Taftan border for a 2,603-kilometer (1,620 miles) stretch in Iran.

The train will travel some 1,850 kilometres (1,150 miles) in Turkey, passing through the capital Ankara before reaching its final stop in Istanbul.

The decision to resume the ITI cargo train service was taken at a ministerial meeting of ECO member states in 2020.

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