The Iran Rail Corridor: From China and Central Asia to Tehran, Tabriz and Europe

This corridor is the backbone of our network. Cargo from China or Central Asia enters Iran's rail system at Sarakhs — no Caspian crossing, no sea leg — and is either discharged inside Iran at Mashhad, Tehran or Tabriz, or carried on through Tabriz–Razi towards Türkiye and Europe. The advantage is simple: one border less, one handling less, and therefore less risk for cargo with a hard delivery window.

The route at a glance

Borders and gauge changes

• Khorgos and Altynkol: the busiest China–Kazakhstan rail gateway. Bogie exchange or transloading into 1520 mm wagons happens right at the station. In peak season — before Chinese New Year and around the calendar year end — the wagon queue grows, and that has to be priced into the plan.
• Sarakhs: Iran's entry gate. Bogies are changed to standard gauge here and transit documents are checked at the same stop.
• Razi and Kapıköy: the only working rail link between Iran and Türkiye. From here the Van–Tatvan section crosses Lake Van by ferry, with road transfer on part of the stretch; heavy and out-of-gauge project cargo has to account for it from the first draft of the plan.

Key terminals

• Mashhad and Sarakhs — best for discharging in eastern Iran and for transit towards Afghanistan; the customs office closest to the entry border.
• Tehran — the central hub for domestic distribution and for the north–south corridors.
• Tabriz — the north-west gateway towards Türkiye and Europe. For cargo whose final destination is Türkiye or Europe, clearing in Tabriz shortens the door-to-door time.
• Chinese origin terminals — Chongqing, Xi'an and Zhengzhou run the most frequent weekly services towards Khorgos.

Indicative transit times

These figures are the working average of scheduled services, not a contractual commitment. Real time depends on border queues, the number of bogie exchanges, customs release and path allocation; a contract states a window, never a fixed day.

What this corridor is good for

• 20 ft and 40 ft containers from China: consumer goods, automotive parts, electricals
• Steel: coils, rebar and profiles in covered wagons or on flat cars
• Petrochemicals and polymers in bags and big bags, subject to dangerous-goods rules
• Project cargo and machinery that need permits and a dedicated securing plan
• Agricultural and food cargo in covered wagons or reefer containers

Risks and operational notes

• Season and capacity: in peak months the bogie-exchange queue at Khorgos and Sarakhs stretches; booking capacity before the season is cheaper than an urgent shipment.
• Different rules at every border: transit paperwork differs by country. One document set covering the whole route prevents avoidable stops.
• The Lake Van stretch: capacity is limited and tied to the ferry schedule; for shipments with hard deadlines an alternative must be assessed in advance.
• Insurance: every extra loading and unloading point changes the cover. The policy has to be issued against the real routing, not the nominal one.

How Lihu runs this corridor

• Wagon and equipment matched to the cargo, from 1520 mm covered wagons to platforms and ISO containers
• One coordinator across three parties: the origin train in China, the Central Asian operators and the Iranian rail network
• Clearance at Sarakhs, Mashhad, Tehran or Tabriz, whichever the contract provides for
• Status reporting from control points — bogie exchange, border crossing, arrival in Iran — instead of vague updates

Field note: on this corridor most delay happens at the Khorgos border and in customs release, not on the rail line. Precise documentation saves more time than a faster train.

Send us your origin, destination and cargo type and we will come back with a few wagon options and loading windows.