Resuming operations after 10 years of idleness, Ankara's first cargo train arrived all the way from Islamabad as part of the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul (ITI) train track project implemented by Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey. 

At an old station in Ankara, a celebration was held as a cargo, carrying goods, departed from Pakistan on December 21, 2021, and arrived in the Turkish capital today, Wednesday. The journey took around 13 days. 

Attendees of the celebration included Turkish Minister of Transport, Adil Karaismailoglu, Iranian Ambassador to Turkey, Mohammad Farazmand, Pakistani MP, Makhdoom Zaid Qureshi, and a number of other guests. 

The cargo train, which has been reactivated to bolster trade between the three countries, took 12 days and 21 hours to arrive in Ankara, in a 5,981 km-long journey. The train has 8 loaded wagons, each enjoying a 22-tonne capacity. Each wagon is 6 meters in length.

In his speech, Karaismailoglu announced that the new railway will open new doors for industrialists and businesspeople on the Islamabad-Tehran-Ankara route. The new route will save trade time and cost.

He said, "It will save time and cost compared to sea transportation between Pakistan and Turkiye, which takes 35 days, and will lead to the development of trade between the two countries," adding that "with the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul train, a new railway corridor will be provided to our exporters in the south of Asia -- having the highest population density globally -- reaching Pakistan, neighboring India, China, Afghanistan, and Iran. In this way, our country will be one step closer to its goals of becoming a bridge and logistics base between Asia and Europe."

On his part, Pakistani MP Qureshi said that the ITI train will be playing an important role in tying the region together and promoting economic and commercial activity in the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), which comprises Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The ECO was established in 1964 by Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey. 

Qureshi also revealed that the initiative will also enhance export trade and connectivity with international markets, including European markets. 

"The current government in Pakistan believes in regional connectivity and we feel that to play a role at the national stage we need to be economically reliable. In order to do that, we need to not only have peace in our region but also increase the trade within our neighborhood and this ITI project will become a friendship project."

"We get access to the European markets and Turkey gets access to the central Asian states so it is a mutually beneficial arrangement and I hope it will be sustainable and we can grow from it further," Qureshi told Anadolu Agency.

Furthermore, Ambassador Farazmand noted in the speech that the railway, which was first launched in 2009, was put to a halt in 2011 due to technical issues and was relaunched after 10 years. The Ambassador also said that the trio also plans to work on a train that transports passengers through the same route soon.