The agreement was finalized between the managing directors of the national railway companies of Iran and Uzbekistan Thursday.

The pact includes initiating a container train transit route between Almaty, Tashkent, and Istanbul, launching a container train route between Tashkent and Bandar Abbas, a 25 percent discount to be granted to Iran for using Uzbek carriages, the passage of Iranian railroad cars through the Uzbek network and settling outstanding accounts between Iran-Uzbekistan railways.

The chief executive of Iran’s Railway Company, Hassan Ziyari, said that the two countries have maintained good mutual relations with respect to the railways, noting that regular meetings between the experts in the field from both countries improve these relations.

"Establishing private transit transportation companies and joint investments in launching railway networks among Iran, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan will allow Uzbekistan access to the Persian Gulf waterway," Ziyari added.

Uzbekistan Railway Company chief Achilbay Ramatov said that Tashkent is eager to see the growth of railway cooperation with Tehran.

"Iran’s railway cars transiting the member-states of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) needs Iranian membership in the Council of Railway Transportation formed among the CIS countries. This can be discussed in a trilateral meeting to be attended by Iran, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan," added Ramatov.