{
  "id": 10438657,
  "title": "Iran Completes Chabahar-Zahedan Railway, Boosting India’s Connectivity To Afghanistan And Central Asia",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/iran-completes-chabahar-zahedan-railway-boosting-indias-connectivity",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-28T11:33:27.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/business/iran-completes-chabahar-zahedan-railway-boosting-indias-connectivity-to-afghanistan-and-central-asia"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Iran has finished building a 730-kilometer railway line stretching from Chabahar on its southeastern coast to Zahedan near the Afghan border. This railway, expected to start full operations within three to four months after safety inspections, aims to enhance India's connectivity to Afghanistan, Central Asia, and parts of Russia via Iranian territory. The railway spans 33 stations, includes 39 tunnels and 201 bridges, and offers a new land route for landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asian nations to reach maritime routes through the Indian Ocean.\n\nIndia and Iran are currently discussing India's potential involvement in the Chabahar Port project. This discussion took place during Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, outside the BRICS Summit. In May 2024, India and Iran signed a 10-year agreement for developing and operating the Shahid Beheshti terminal at Chabahar Port. India has also committed $120 million to the project. However, US sanctions policies have posed challenges, with sanctions exemptions withdrawn and later reinstated conditionally by Washington.\n\nIndia is exploring future management of the Chabahar Port, with possibilities including an Iranian local ports authority overseeing operations or returning operational rights to India if US sanctions are lifted. The Chabahar-Zahedan railway will bolster regional trade routes by connecting Iran's port infrastructure with neighboring countries, strengthening India's access to Central Asian markets and providing alternative transport corridors.",
  "summary": "Iran has completed construction of the 730-km Chabahar-Zahedan railway line, a development expected to strengthen India’s access to Afghanistan, Central Asia and parts of Russia through Iranian territory. The railway project, which has been under development for several years, is expected to begin full operations within three to four months after Iranian authorities complete final safety…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}