India commits to build the Chabahar-Zahedan rail line

India has committed to build and finance the Chabahar-Zahedan rail project, which is an intrinsic part of the Chabahar port. The Indian embassy in Tehran informed that India is committed to building the Chabahar-Zahedan railway line and is engaged with Iranian authorities to take this project forward. It was expected that in addition to the investment in Chabahar Port, India would also play a crucial role in funding and constructing this strategic transit route from Chabahar to Zahedan and from Zahedan to Sarakhs at the border with Turkmenistan which, in the absence of active Indian engagement and partnership, is under construction by Iranian funding and engineering capacities. Certain hurdles in the way of making material for the railway lines are being sorted and Iranian agencies need to undertake this. The Zahedan railway project has two components — the substructure which is earth-moving and preparing the ground for the tracks and the superstructure which includes the laying of tracks and rakes.