North–South corridor (INSTC)
Bandar Abbas → Astara / Caspian ports → Russia
Containers and breakbulk between the Persian Gulf and Russia. By rail and road through Azerbaijan, or by sea across the Caspian from Anzali and Amirabad.
Corridors
Four main transit corridors
All routes run in both directions: imports to the region from China, India and Europe, and exports from the region to world markets.
Central Asia by rail
Bandar Abbas → Sarakhs / Incheh Borun → Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan
Wagon and container rail transit, with the change to broad-gauge wagons at the border.
Afghanistan gateway
Chabahar / Bandar Abbas → Dogharoun, Milak → Herat, Kabul, Kandahar
Road transit with TIR carnets and bonded trucking, and rail to Herat through Khaf.
Caspian shipping
Anzali, Amirabad, Nowshahr ↔ Astrakhan, Makhachkala, Aktau
Short-sea service for bulk, steel and project parts between Iran, Russia and Kazakhstan.
Rail transit
Wagons on the corridors
Iran's railways use standard gauge (1,435 mm). Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia use broad gauge (1,520 mm), so at the border wagons change bogies or the cargo moves to broad-gauge wagons. Sarakhs, on the Turkmen border, has a bogie-exchange facility.
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Container flat wagon
A 60-foot flat wagon takes one 40-foot and one 20-foot container, or three 20-foot ones. Container trains run from Bandar Abbas towards Sarakhs and Incheh Borun for Central Asia.
| Loading length | about 18.4 m (60 ft) |
| Carries | 3 TEU |
| Payload | about 60–70 t |
| Best for | Containers on long inland routes |
Covered hopper wagon
A closed wagon that is loaded through hatches on the roof and emptied through chutes underneath. It carries grain, cement, fertiliser and other dry bulk.
| Volume | about 90–110 m³ |
| Payload | about 65–70 t |
| Best for | Grain, cement, fertiliser, soda ash |
Rail tank wagon
For fuel, liquefied gas, chemicals and vegetable oil. Rail is usually cheaper than road for large volumes over long distances.
| Volume | about 60–75 m³ |
| Payload | about 55–65 t |
| Best for | Liquids in bulk |
Tilt (curtain) semi-trailer under TIR
The most common truck on the transit roads from Türkiye and Europe to Central Asia and Afghanistan. A TIR-approved tilt trailer is closed with one steel cord threaded through all the eyelets of the tarpaulin, so customs can seal the whole load space with a single seal.
| Inside (L × W × H) | 13.6 × 2.48 × 2.7 m |
| Volume | about 90 m³ |
| Pallets | 33 Euro pallets |
| Payload | about 24 t |
| Best for | General cargo, consumer goods, machinery parts |
Simplified models with typical dimensions. Exact figures vary by owner, build and country.