What Incheh Borun is
The Incheh Borun Free Trade–Industrial Zone lies in northern Golestan Province at the Iran–Turkmenistan border. Its statutory area is 12,577 hectares. The zone was created under the 2021 law and its organisation statute was approved and promulgated in 2023; infrastructure and commercial operations continue to develop in phases.
Rail and logistics
Incheh Borun is the southern gateway of the Kazakhstan–Turkmenistan–Iran (KTI) railway. The roughly 930 km route runs from Uzen/Bolashak through Turkmenistan to Ak-Yayla/Etrek, Incheh Borun and Gorgan. It opened in December 2014.
It is not Iran’s only rail interface with Central Asia. Sarakhs also has a continuous cross-border connection to Iran’s national network. At Lotfabad, Turkmen broad-gauge track enters the terminal but does not connect to Iran’s national network, so cargo depends on terminal transfer or multimodal handling. Incheh Borun’s distinct value is its position on the east-Caspian route and its domestic-network connection.
Operational facts
- Central Asian track is 1,520 mm and Iranian track is 1,435 mm, so bogie exchange or transloading may be required.
- Multi-million-ton figures are development targets, not guaranteed current throughput.
- Transit time and cost depend on cargo, permits, tariffs, train slots, terminal capacity and border operations.