Iran has completed rail laying on the Chabahar-Iranshahr section of the Chabahar-Zahedan railway and is targeting commissioning of the strategic line by January 2027, according to Iranian officials. The project is expected to strengthen India’s connectivity with Afghanistan and Central Asia through the Iranian port of Chabahar.

The development was announced by Sistan and Baluchestan Governor Mansour Bijar during Iranian Transport and Urban Development Minister Farzaneh Sadegh’s visit to the project. Iranian authorities have prepared a schedule to put the railway into operation by the end of Dey, which falls in late January 2027.

The Chabahar-Zahedan project has a direct length of 630 km and extends to 735 km when branch lines are included. It comprises 33 stations, 39 tunnels and 201 bridges, and is designed to carry about 7.7 mn tonnes of freight and 2.2 mn passengers annually, according to Iranian officials.

For India, the railway would provide an alternative route to the landlocked markets of Afghanistan and Central Asia, bypassing Pakistan. Once connected to Iran’s national rail network, cargo arriving at Chabahar could move northwards by rail towards Zahedan and onwards to other parts of Iran and Central Asia.

India has been involved in developing and operating the Shahid-Behesti terminal at Chabahar and signed a 10-year contract in May 2024 for India Ports Global to operate the facility. However, operations have reportedly been handed back to the Iranian side until conditions normalise, while India’s role remains affected by US sanctions after a conditional waiver expired in April 2026.

The railway is also relevant to the International North-South Transport Corridor, which aims to link India with Iran, Central Asia, Russia and Europe through a multimodal network. Iranian officials have described the line as part of wider efforts to develop east-west and north-south transit corridors, connecting Chabahar’s Indian Ocean gateway with the national rail network and international markets.