According to Iranian media on Friday, the railway of the Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA), which aims to link Iran with Europe and increase global trade, has been placed into service.

The railway network was announced to start operating today by the Iranian president during an inauguration ceremony.  

The transit railway will be connected to the Miyaneh-Bostanabad-Tabriz in Iran. The railways will connect to Iran through a chain of railways passing through the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Yerevan (Armenia), Tbilisi (Georgia), and Julfa (Azerbaijan).

After a 22-year break, the government worked to finish building the railway. 

The Iranian Fars news agency reported that the railway will significantly increase trade with Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkey. 

The railway from Tehran to Tabriz will reportedly be shortened to 114 km and its capacity by 7 million tons of cargo and 2 million passengers per year.

Read more: New corridor for India-Russia trade via Iran nearly complete

In June 2022, Raisi said Iran can act as a transit route connecting East and South Asia to Europe as well and that one of the priorities of the Iranian government is to resolve the barriers impeding railway trade.

He highlighted then that Iran is a low-cost and fast route for Asian and European countries and that Tehran's security has highlighted the role it can play in regional transit.

His comments came after announcing the opening of the first Kazakh transit train to cross Iran into Europe.

One of the priorities of the Iranian government is to play an effective role "in increasing regional integration by expanding trade through Iranian lands as a secure, reasonably priced, and quick route," he stressed.

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