RAILWAY NETWORK

AND

ECO COUNTRIES
BY
Maqsood Ahmad Khan
GENERAL MANAGER
WELFARE &TRAINING

DECEMBER 2015

ECO

ECONOMIC COOPERATION ORGANIZATION

E C O
Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), is an
Inter-governmental Regional Organization which
was
originally
established
as
Regional
Cooperation for Development (RCD) in 1964 by
Iran, Pakistan and Turkey for promoting
sustainable socio-economic development of the
Member States.
It was renamed ECO in 1985 and in 1992 the
organization was expanded to include Afghanistan,
Azerbaijan,
Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyz
Republic,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

ECO COUNTRIES
1. Afghanistan
2. Azerbaijan
3. Iran
4. Kazakhstan
5. Kyrgyzstan
6. Pakistan
7. Tajikistan
8. Turkey
9. Turkmenistan
10.Uzbekistan

ECO COUNTRIES MAP

GOALS AND OBHJECTIVES

Sustainable economic development of its Member
States
Development
of
TRANSPORT
and
communications
infrastructure
linking
the
Member States and the outside world
Economic liberalization and privatization
Mobilization and utilization of ECO region's
material resources;
Effective use of the agricultural and industrial
potential of the region
Mutually beneficial cooperation with regional and
international organizations

ECO RAIL NETWORK

The ECO rail network, centrally
located in Asia can connect
Europe to the rest of the Asian
regions like China, India, Far East
and South East, as an economical
alternate to the existing routes.

DIRECTORATE OF TRANSPORT AND

COMMUNICATIONS
To accelerate development of Transport and
Communications
Infrastructures;
and
facilitate Transit through, improving border
crossing between the Member States
TRANSIT TRANSPORT FRAMEWORK
AGREEMENT (TTFA)
Basic document dealing with the sector of
transport and communications

The ECO region is full of bright

trading prospects. Despite its young
age, ECO has developed into a
thriving regional organization. Its
international stature is growing.
Howeever, the region is lacking in
appropriate
infrastructure
and
institutions which the Organization is
seeking to develop, on priority basis,
to make full use of the available
resources in the region.

RAILWAY NETWORKS
IN

ECO COUNTRIES

RAILWAY AND ROAD CORRIDORS CONNECTING THE

CENTRAL ASIA REGIONAL ECONOMIC CORPORATION
MEMBER COUNTRIES

RAILWAY NETWORK - AFGHANISTAN

RAILWAY NETWORK - AZERBAIJAN

RAILWAY NETWORK - IRAN

RAILWAY NETWORK KAZAKHSTAN

RAILWAY NETWORK KYRGYZSTAN

RAILWAY NETWORK TAJIKISTAN

RAILWAY NETWORK TURKEY

RAILWAY NETWORK TURKMENISTAN

RAILWAY NETWORK UZBEKISTAN

ECO OFFICIAL MAP

ECO
SIGNIFICANCE

CHINA CENTRAL ASIA

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

CENTRAL ASIA - SILK ROAD RAIL LINES

AND
PROPOSED REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT CORRIDOR

ECO
AND

TRANS ASIAN RAILWAYS

ECO AND TRANS ASIAN RAILWAYS

The railway transport systems in the
ECO Countries are the important
linkage of the Trans-Asian Railway
as well

TRANS ASIAN RAILWAY

Northern Corridor
China - Kazakhstan
Federation - Korea

Mongolia

Russian

Southern Corridor
Thailand - the Southern Chinese Province of
Yunnan - Myanmar - Bangladesh - India - Pakistan
- Iran - Turkey

North-South Corridor
Northern Europe to the Persian Gulf through the
Russian Federation - ECO countries - the Caucasus
region

Sub-Regional Network
ASEAN and Indo-China sub regions

TRANS ASIAN RAILWAY ROUTES

DEVELOPMENTS BY IRAN
Iran, a member of ECO, has already
developed its port, Bander Abbas, and
completed Mashhad - Serakhs Tejen
railway line into Turkemenistan. Thus has
opened the railway traffic on the Northern
as well as North-South Corridors of the
Trans-Asian Railway, which in its turn
opened railway routes linking ECO
Countries to the ports of the Persian Gulf.

NORTH - SOUTH CORRIDOR THROUGH IRAN

NORTH - SOUTH CORRIDOR

SOUTHERN CORRIDOR

INTER MODAL
AND

ECO COUNTRIES

CONTAINERIZATION
MULTI - MODAL / INTER - MODAL
A freight transport system using
standard containers which can be
loaded on container ships, freight
train wagons, and trucks; and
provides door-to-door service would
facilitate the movant of any railway
network, especially the ECO which
has large number of land locked
countries

The freight traffic on these international

routes

will

be

through

containers.

Therefore, development of containerization

(multi-modal)

infrastructure

and

rolling

stock by ECO Railways to boost up trade

between ECO Countries and ultimately to
the European markets, will be in the best
interest of the railways, business community
and the region

FACTORS AFFECTING THE CONTAINERIZATION

Economic globalization is leading to increased
bilateral, intra-regional and inter-regional trade
Rapidly
changing
information
and
communication technology is allowing the delocalization of industries creating a need for
organizing the delivery of components at
manufacturing sites
The improving standards of living are also
creating strong demand for consumer goods

LAHORE DRY PORT

ECO
AND

PAKISTAN

 ECO Countries are rich in natural resources.

They have great potential for development
which depends upon the development of
transportation and communication systems
of the region.
They need access to the sea through land
links i.e. road and rail.
Pakistans policy towards these countries is
focussed on their integration with the South
(Karachi and Gwadar) providing connection
with the Gulf Region, Far East and Middle
East.

 Pakistan Railway is connected, in the East with

India (Part of Trans Asian Railways); in the North
and the West with Afghanistan and Iran (ECO),
wherefrom Pakistan has access to other ECO
Countries and ultimately to Europe.
Pakistan is
also suitably located on the
Southern Corridor of TAR but due to tense
relation with India; has to develop its transport
infrastructure as
a part of North - South
Corridor through Afghanistan; and China from
Gwader/ Karachi

 Afghanistan has no railway network. Goods in

Transit to Afghanistan are transported by rail upto Chaman and Peshawar, wherefrom these are
taken by road. The condition of roads in
Afghanistan is deplorable, where reconstruction
is required for more than 60% of its highways.
To make the North - South route, originating from
Gwadar Port, a success, Pakistan and concerned
ECO States have to join hands in the
rehabilitation of the communication network in
Afghanistan .
As an alternate, the Quetta - Taftan - Zahidan
route can be used to reach the North - South and
Southern Routes through Iran.

ISLAMABAD TEHRAN ISTANBUL

(ITI) ROUTE

I T I - ROUTE
ISLAMABAD TEHRAN ISTANBUL ROUTE

PAKISTAN RAILWAYS EXPERIENCE

WITH
IRAN - AFGHANISTAN - INDIA

E CO
ACHIEVEMENTS

ECO ACHIEVEMENTS

Transit Trade Framework Agreement has been

operationalized
The ECO Container Train on Islamabad-TehranIstanbul route had started its operation since 14 th
August 2010
Railway line on Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran
route has been comleted
The Feasibility Study for Railway Route from
China along Tajikistan and Afghanistan to
Zahedan/Chabahar in Iran through Herat-DelaramZaranj and through Iran and Turkey to Europe

 The The ECO unified Visa Sticker for Drivers and

the Crew has been prepared. Procedures for
issuance of the unified visa are being finalized
The ECO Railway Transit routes map has been
published. The ECO Road Transit routes map has
been finalized
MoUs between ECO and CIT, and OTIF, focusing on
mutual cooperation and technical assistance to
implement railway related provisions of the TTFA,
have been signed
An online system is being finalized for money
transfer through the financial postal services of
the member states

 ECO/IRU Silk Road Caravan, comprising of

trucks from eight member states, successfully
completed an 11,500 km journey across
Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan,
Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey in SeptemberOctober 2010

The strengthening of the communication

network in the ECO region by
constructing the missing links,
rehabilitating
the
dilapidated
infrastructure and restoring peace,
requires huge investment and political
will and support on the part of all the
stakeholders to develop and make
optimum use of the natural resources
available in the region.