Tehran: Shahriar Naghizadeh announced on Monday that the first eight months of the current Iranian calendar year, beginning March 21, witnessed the exportation of over 1.85 million tons of cargo via rail. This marks an increase of over half a million tons, or approximately 40%, compared to the previous year.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Naghizadeh attributed this growth to strategic measures implemented within the rail transportation sector. These measures included adopting a smart and floating tariff policy, streamlining processes to provide relief wagons, facilitating the movement of Iranian wagons abroad, and bolstering support for the qualified and capable private sector.

Earlier, Ali Ghanbarzadeh, the public relations manager of the Iranian Railway, informed IRNA that international railway cargoes rose by 20% in the first half of this year compared to 2024. He described this unprecedented growth in rail cargo transit as a product of rail-based diplomacy, along with conferences and multilateral agreements among nations in the East-West and North-South corridors.

According to Ghanbarzadeh, the number of cargo trains entering Iran from China has increased significantly-from seven to 31-alongside 47 from Russia since President Masoud Pezeshkian assumed office in the summer of 2024.