The Chabahar route will give Indian exporters direct access to landlocked markets in Central Asia, Afghanistan, and eastern Russia
Iran has completed laying track on the southern stretch of the Chabahar-Zahedan railway, closing a key gap in a route designed to connect the port of Chabahar on the Gulf of Oman to Zahedan near the Afghan border.
Iranian railway official Abbas Khatibi said last week that tracks had been laid for the crucial 480km stretch between Chabahar and Khash, and currently the priority is to complete the stations on the route, Tasnim news agency reported.
The Chabahar–Zahedan link stretches 630 km, or 735 km including branch lines. With the northern sections already linked to the existing rail network, the Iranian authorities are now preparing it for operation.
The Chabahar–Zahedan link is an extension of the larger International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC), backed by India, Iran and Russia. The project has been in the making for decades because of its huge infrastructure requirements and has also been slowed by Western sanctions on both Iran and Russia.
The milestone comes as the Middle East conflict has disrupted traditional transport and energy routes across the region. Chabahar has direct access to the Indian Ocean without requiring ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a major chokepoint affected by the conflict.
Strategic Step: Iran Completes Chabahar-Zahedan Rail Link – Connecting Central Asia to Indian Ocean
The major infrastructure project looks set to become fully operational within 3-4 months with final safety checks for the route underway. (Economic Times)
The route connects… pic.twitter.com/pUKsSzJEJq
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For India, the Chabahar-Zahedan link strengthens a trade route that reaches Afghanistan and Central Asia without transiting Pakistan. Cargo arriving by sea at Chabahar would be able to move inland through Iran’s rail and road network toward landlocked regional markets.
India’s role in Chabahar is complicated by US sanctions. A conditional waiver covering the project, in which India invested around $120 million, expired in April. New Delhi maintained it was discussing the issue with both Tehran and Washington, describing the regional conflict as a “complicating factor.”
In July, the conflict touched Chabahar itself, when US forces struck a surveillance tower at the neighboring Shahid Kalantari terminal linked to the project. India said the terminal was not damaged.
READ MORE: Trump backs Hormuz alternative but his Iran war is blocking the route
September 29, 2026 at 12:39AM
RT