Cargo train service between Turkey, Pakistan to resume

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

Container train services on the Istanbul-Tehran-Islamabad railway route will recommence as of July 15 after being canceled in 2011 due to delays in Pakistan. Hürriyet photo

Container train services on the Istanbul-Tehran-Islamabad railway route will recommence as of July 15.
After a meeting in June in Turkish capital of Ankara, Turkish, Iranian and Pakistani authorities decided to restart container train services.

A distance of 6,543 kilometers will be covered by trains once every fifteen days. At first the service will take 18 days, before eventually decreasing to 11 days. The train services are expected to boost trade relations between Turkey and Pakistan, which are connected by the railway.

Train services between Turkey and Pakistan began in 2009 and due to several delays in Pakistan they were cancelled in 2011. The cargo trains will depart from the western province of İzmit. Firms will be able to place loads on the train at various stations and should have their representatives on board to oversee customs transactions in Iran and Pakistan.