Tehran – Iran moved about 3.6 million tons of cargo through its ports by rail in the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-August 22), up 14 percent from the same period last year, the head of commercial affairs at Iran Railways said.

Abedin Hadinejad Lajimi told state media that trains, with capacities of 2,400 to 4,000 tons, play a vital role in clearing port traffic, cutting air pollution and linking ports to domestic destinations.

He highlighted rail’s safety advantage over roads, citing 26,000 annual road deaths, and its fuel efficiency of 3.2 cc per ton-kilometer compared with 33.3 cc for trucks.

He said rail’s share of port cargo rose from 7.3 percent last year to nearly eight percent so far this year. Under Iran’s seventh development plan, the target is to reach 25 percent.

Hamidreza Abaei, executive director of the national ports master plan, also said the current 7.5 to 8.0 percent share is far below the global average of 40 to 50 percent and stressed the need to expand port-rail links and upgrade infrastructure.

He reported 85 percent progress on the project to connect Chabahar port to the rail network and listed Khorramshahr, Imam Khomeini, Shahid Rajaei and Amirabad as the main ports already linked by rail.

Abaei noted Shahid Rajaei’s leading role in container rail traffic, Imam Khomeini port’s close competition, and Khorramshahr’s 40 percent share, while citing Amirabad’s infrastructure limitations as a drag on its rail use.

He also pointed to challenges, including longer delivery times — one to two days by truck versus about five days by rail from ports to Tehran — which reduce competitiveness. Strengthening internal port infrastructure and improving coordination across sectors are also essential, he said.

Both officials agreed Iran would need to raise rail’s share by about five percentage points each year to meet the 25 percent goal by the end of the five-year plan, requiring major investment and structural reforms in logistics.

EF/MA