Railway linking Iran with C. Asia to open soon

Tehran, Nov 16, IRNA – The railroad connecting Iran to two Central Asian countries of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan will open in December, an official said Sunday. During a ceremony on December 3, the presidents of the three Muslim states will inaugurate the railway which connects the three nations, member of managing board of the Iranian Railroad Organization Mohammad Gharavi said. According to the official, Iran has allocated rls 1,400 billion to completion of the project running inside its territory. Once completed, the project is to cut short the distance for international transportation companies by over 600 kms from Central Asia to Europe and the Persian Gulf. Over 82 kms of the railroad run through the Iranian territory with 700 kms running in Turkmenistan and 120 kms in Kazakhstan. It will also shorten the time of transportation and transit of goods by 48 hours./end