Azernews.Az

Iran plans to boost its capacity of goods transit to 14 million tons per year by 2015.

Roads and Urban Development Minister Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi made the remark at the international conference on the role of transport and transit corridors in the region which started in Ashgabat, IRNA news agency reported on September 4.

Akhoundi added that the volume of goods transit from the Islamic Republic is planned to increase by 25 percent in next five years.

The minister noted that Iran's transportation system benefits over 50,000 kilometers of roads and railways, adding the Islamic Republic plans a significant leap in its transportation industry via implementing major infrastructure projects.

Akhoundi further underlined the importance of the of the North-South railway corridor which is under construction jointly by regional countries, including Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan, and is designed to link countries in Europe and South Asia via the shortest route possible.

Over 12 million tons of goods were transited via Iran in the past Iranian fiscal year (ended on March 21), indicating a 4 percent rise year on year.

Iranian Roads Maintenance Organization official Mohammad Javad Atrchian said on July 1 that over 3.48 million tons of goods were transited via Iran in spring 2014, 2.4 percent more compared with spring 2013.

The transited consignments mostly consisted of fuel, home appliances, cotton, construction materials and vehicles.

Iran earns some 14 trillion rials (about $437.5 million) annually through transiting goods via ports.