Chabahar-Zahedan railroad project to be resumed: Official

The Chabahar-Zahedan railroad construction will be resumed, said deputy head of Construction and Development of Transportation Infrastructures Company (CDTIC).

Abbas Khatibi told ISNA that following negotiation with contractor of this project and Esfahan Steel Company (ESCO), 90,000 tons of subsidized rail tracks will be provided for the project.
He pointed to the recent Iranian government decision on Chabahar-Zahedan railroad and said the project will receive €300 million finance in five €60-million installment.
Khatibi added that €30 million of the first payment will be paid in coming days to accelerate the project.
There is almost no proper transport infrastructure in the eastern rail corridor of ​​the country, said the official adding that the Chabahar-Zahedan railroad is among the demands of the people of these areas and even Iran's eastern neighbors.

 He also added that India and Afghanistan can take benefits of the railroad.

The director of Commerce Department of Chabahar Free Zone Organization said on November 1 that Chabahar port handled a total of $800 million worth of commodities in the last Iranian year (ended March 20) to register a 50 percent growth compared with the year before.

Noting that the port is offering a range of facilities for importers, including discounts on customs duties, Ali Rajabi added that 20 hectares of warehousing facilities are under construction in Chabahar.

“Since imports in bulk outweigh container imports at Chabahar, the port offers two empty warehouses and warehousing discounts of up to 60 percent to bulk imports,” Rajabi said.

Also in October, Deputy Industry Minister Hossein Modarres Khiabani said Chabahar has the capacity of handling up to 8.5 million tons of cargo per year; we are seeking to activate at least 50 percent of this capacity as soon as possible.

Currently only 10% of the capacity of Chabahar Port is being utilized, Khiabani said.