Iran wants to join CIS railway network

Iran is looking to join the Commonwealth of Independent States’ (CIS) railway network. If Iran’s bid were to be accepted, it would allow Tehran to use its wagons on CIS territory. Most of the country’s international rail freight traffic goes to or from CIS member states. Yet, it remains to be seen if Russia, the bloc’s central power, is willing to let Iranian wagons in.

Reportedly, Iran has used the CIS railway network’s latest meeting in Uzbekistan to put forward its bid to join the bloc. Such a move seems logical for Iran, whose rail freight business is mostly conducted with CIS member states. Notably, it is working together with Russia on developing the International North-South Transport Corridor, which connects the Russian centre to Iranian ports on the Indian Ocean. INSTC trains transit Azerbaijan, also a CIS member state.

However, it remains to be seen if Russia is open to Iranian wagons. Russian Railways has been struggling with an overload of wagons on its network, and is resorting to the unpopular and possibly economically harmful move of removing 100,000 wagons from its railway network. The entry of Iranian wagons does not seem to coincide with Russian Railways’ priorities at the moment.