TEHRAN – Rail freight exchanges between Iran and Afghanistan increased 17-fold from the start of the current Iranian year through February 24 compared with the same period last year, a senior official at Islamic Republic of Iran Railways said.

Shahriar Naqizadeh, director general of international commercial affairs at the railway company, said the surge was driven by operations at the newly established Shamtigh rail border crossing, which delivered what he described as exceptional performance this year.

Total cargo transported via the rail link surpassed 650,000 tons by February 24 and is projected to exceed 750,000 tons by year-end, he said. Of the total, at least 150,000 tons consisted of transit shipments routed from third countries through Iran to Afghanistan.

Railway officials have set a target of 2.0 million tons of freight through the Shamtigh crossing in the Iranian year 1404 (starts late March), describing the goal as achievable given current momentum.

Earlier, the head of the railway company said the route had opened a new eastern gateway for exports to Afghanistan, noting that monthly rail shipments reached 70,000 tons in the tenth month of the Iranian year and rose to more than 100,000 tons in the following month.

Exports transported by rail include ceramics from Yazd, steel products from various producers and transit shipments of petroleum products originating in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Russia destined for Afghanistan.

Rail transport has also reduced delivery costs. Officials said the price of petroleum products inside Afghanistan fell from about $1,400 per ton to $935 per ton following the shift to rail shipments, underscoring the impact of the new corridor on trade efficiency.

EF/MA