Türkiye, Iran restart Van-Tehran train service to expand trade and tourism

Train services between Van and Tehran will restart after a period of suspension.

Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu announced that ticket sales for the Van-Tehran train will open on Feb. 20.

He met with Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development, Ferzane Sadik, to discuss transportation and infrastructure cooperation between the two countries.

Restoring Van-Tehran train services to strengthen economic, tourism ties

Uraloglu and Sadik focused on improving land, air, and rail transportation. Uraloglu stressed the need to eliminate trade barriers and improve connectivity.

“We discussed how to remove mutual taxation and make road transport more efficient. Our teams will meet to develop practical solutions,” he said.

The ministers agreed to expand railway freight transport capacity to one million tons. Uraloglu emphasized the importance of avoiding delays and streamlining customs procedures. “We must prevent delays in railway transport. We also agreed to speed up customs processes,” he said.

Van-Tehran train services to increase regional trade and travel opportunities

Reintroducing the Van-Tehran train will boost both trade and tourism. Sadik noted that this move will increase transit cargo capacity and improve transport links.

“We evaluated ways to expand transit cargo transport on both road and rail. Strengthening rail and road connections, particularly in the Cesmisureyya-Dilucu section, was also a key topic,” she said.

Sadik described Türkiye as Iran’s gateway to the West and Iran as Türkiye’s gateway to the East. “Increasing border crossings will benefit transit cargo transport,” she added.

Both ministers also agreed to create a joint committee to resolve transportation challenges.

Reinstating Van-Tehran train services to benefit tourism, trade

Restarting the Van-Tehran train service will increase tourism between Türkiye and Iran. Sadik stated that the agreement will help attract more visitors to both countries.

“Resuming Tehran-Van passenger services will play a key role in increasing the number of tourists traveling between our nations,” she said.

The agreement includes measures to facilitate road transport for Turkish and Iranian transport companies.

“We agreed to improve road transport conditions and introduce measures to ease restrictions for Turkish and Iranian fleets,” Sadik said.

Launching ticket sales marks a significant step in the Türkiye-Iran transportation collaboration.

Restarting the Van-Tehran train service will provide more travel options while strengthening economic and diplomatic relations between the two countries.