Share of rail transport in the country's goods movement is 10%; 70% of the country's trade used to go by sea

Head of the National Rail Transport Association said: Given the restrictions imposed on maritime transport in southern Iran, expanding road and rail capacity and shifting part of cargo movement to land routes is feasible.

According to Ambassador Arjan, Seyed Vakili, head of the country's rail transport association, referring to the share of about 10% of rail transport in the country's total transport, said: Considering the restrictions created in the sea transport in the south of the country, it is possible to develop road and rail capacities and transfer part of the movement of goods to land routes, but the realization of this goal requires the development of infrastructure and coordination between government agencies and the private sector.

Referring to the experience of landlocked countries, Vakili stated: Some countries do not have access to the sea and carry out most of their goods movement and logistics through land routes. Therefore, wider use of ground transportation is also possible for Iran.

He added: The occurrence of problems in the sea transportation in the south of the country has caused the need to use road and rail capacities to be more attention than in the past. Because before, there was no such pressure on the land transportation network of the country.

The head of the country's rail transportation association emphasized the existence of suitable road and rail infrastructures in different parts of the country and stated: some of these infrastructures need to be completed or expanded, but it is possible to transfer part of the load to land routes.

Pointing to the necessity of coordination between the related institutions in international transportation, Vakili said: International transportation in the fields of export, import, and transit requires coordination between seven to 10 government organizations as well as private sector activists.

He continued: Since there was no similar demand pressure on this sector in the past, the executive mechanisms and coordination necessary to accept such a volume of demand were not fully prepared; However, in the last few months, positive changes and measures have been taken in this regard.

The head of the country's rail transportation association noted: Strengthening the coordination between government agencies and the private sector, along with completing the infrastructure and increasing the capacity of the rail and road network, can provide the basis for more use of land transportation for moving goods and reducing the pressure caused by the disruption of sea routes.

More than 70% of the country's trade was carried out by sea

Peyman Sanandji, head of the transport commission of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, referring to the transfer of part of the country's import and export load to land and rail routes due to restrictions on sea transportation, said: "More than 70 to 75 percent of the country's imported and exported goods used to be transported by sea, but now there is a lot of pressure on the road and rail transportation network."

Sanandji stated: Most of the goods that were imported or exported before were transported by sea and then transported to the designated destinations in a combined manner; But after the recent developments and the restrictions created in the field of sea transportation, more part of the cargo has moved towards land and rail routes.

He added: Currently, a significant part of the country's imported goods are imported through road and rail transport or in a combined manner, which has put a lot of pressure on the activists of the road transport sector.

Referring to the problems in the country's land borders, the head of the Transport Commission of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce stated: the challenges of this sector are not only limited to the increase in the volume of goods movement, but long stops at the borders have also created many problems for the transport fleet.

Referring to the condition of the Rimdan border on the way to Pakistan, Sanandji continued: the conditions at this border are inappropriate and the long-term stops have hampered the movement of goods. Part of these problems are related to the lack of border facilities, part to the functioning of customs and another part to the management and coordination between the devices located at the borders.

He emphasized: It is necessary for all organizations related to border affairs to operate under a single management and coordination in order to avoid parallel work and delay of trucks. Also, numerous visits and ceremonies at the borders are among the factors that can increase the stopping time of the fleet.

Referring to the notification of the recent resolution of the National Transit Headquarters, the head of the transport commission of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce said: "Fortunately, in the past one or two days, a resolution has been announced with the aim of preventing stoppages and delays at the borders, and we hope that the implementation of this resolution can reduce the fleet's stopping time and facilitate the process of goods crossing the borders."