The Iranian government has announced plans to build a new 200 km railway line from Marand in north-western Iran to Cheshmeh Sorayya on the border with Turkey. The project with an estimated cost of up to EUR 1.4 billion (USD 1.6 billion) is intended to enable a continuous southern corridor of the New Silk Road from China to Europe and ensure fast, cost-effective rail freight transport with few stops. On the Turkish side, there is no railway line in the border area yet, but an extension towards Kars is under discussion. Turkey is also building a line from Kars to the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan. In the long term, the new Iranian line could connect to this corridor, creating a continuous rail freight transport corridor from Iran to Europe, which is intended to strengthen China-Europe transport via the southern land corridor in particular.
