Manitoba Co-operator

Landlocked Central Asia gets shorter railway link to Persian Gulf

The new route will enhance exports of natural gas, grain and textiles

Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Iran inaugurated a new railway route Dec. 3 that will improve resource-rich Central Asia’s access to markets in the Middle East and South Asia. The 925-km (578-mile) stretch of railway, built jointly by the three Caspian neighbours, will ease the exchange of goods between the landlocked post-Soviet region and the countries lying