The Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan and Turkey have plans to reopen a railway line. The railway line will run from Istanbul, Turkey, to Tehran, the capital of Iran, and reach Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.
Later the line will naturally extend to China. News magazine Niki Asia reported from Tokyo, the capital of Japan. The three countries launched a container train in 2009 but it was only in the testing phase; It is no longer fully operational.
However, the three countries have always considered the introduction of passenger trains as well as freight transport, and now the Belt and Road Initiative, to be set up at the initiative of China, is going to connect the three countries' passenger railways.
The railway line between the three countries is 6,540 km long. Where it takes 21 days by sea to reach the capital of Pakistan from Turkey, it is possible in 10 days by rail. Later, the railway line from Pakistan could be extended to the Uighur Muslim-dominated province of Xinjiang.
Experts say it would be much easier for the Islamic Republic of Iran to avoid US sanctions if it joined China's Belt and Road Initiative. This will be an alternative trade route for Iran. Iran's economy will also be greatly relieved by the addition of new railways.
