First freight train from Russia arrives in Iran via North-South corridor

ASHGABAT. Nov 10 (Interfax) - The first freight train from Russia delivering a large shipment of goods has arrived in Iran via transit through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, the Iranian news agency IRNA reported.

Its journey, which the agency called a logistical breakthrough, included 62 forty-foot containers with paper, sulfate pulp and other paper product derivatives.

The train began its journey 900 km north of Moscow, passed through Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan and entered Iran through the Incheh Borun border checkpoint. It reached the dry port of Aprin near Tehran, having covered the entire distance in approximately 12 days.

Aprin is a multimodal logistics hub. It is located at the intersection of the Iranian East-West and North-South railway corridors and represents Iran's largest logistics project. It was launched in May 2025 and is gradually reaching its planned load capacity.

This successful trip with cargo, part of which is intended for Iran and another part for Iraq, represents a crucial step in strengthening trade relations between Russia and Iran, IRNA said. It marks the beginning of regular railway connections between Russia, Iran and neighboring Central Asian countries.

The development of this route, which is part of the eastern branch of the North-South international transport corridor, aims to create a more efficient and faster alternative to traditional sea routes, such as the Suez Canal, for trade between Northern Europe, Russia, the Caspian region, Iran and India.