Introduction

The Sarakhs Special Economic Zone (SEZ) was inaugurated on 14 May 1996 (24 Ordibehesht 1375), concurrently with the opening of the Mashhad–Sarakhs–Tedjen railway, in the presence of leaders and representatives from more than 100 countries worldwide. One of the most significant advantages of this SEZ is its direct rail connection to the Turkmenistan border (zero point) through the Mashhad–Sarakhs–Tedjen line, which passes inside the SEZ. This connection has enabled seamless railway transit between Central Asian countries and Europe. The zone is located in the northeastern extremity of Iran, within Razavi Khorasan Province, about 150 km east of Mashhad and 15 km from the city of Sarakhs, bordering Turkmenistan to the north and east. In the field of rail transport, the Sarakhs SEZ offers facilities such as: Broad-gauge railway tracks (dedicated to transit, import, and export with Central Asian countries), directly connected to the Central Asian railway network, allowing rolling stock to enter the zone without bogie exchange. Standard-gauge railway tracks, connected to the Iranian national railway network. The Phase I studies of the Shenel Zamini International Transport Company’s terminal project were conducted on an area of about 8 hectares, aiming to develop a rail-road freight terminal. Key activities carried out in Phase I studies included:

• Functional requirements analysis of the Sarakhs rail-road freight terminal and traffic demand forecasting for the planning horizon
• Terminal logistics planning and layout of cargo handling platforms/yards
• Civil works studies for the cargo yard and site development (including master site layout design, civil design and surface drainage system, architectural studies for support buildings, etc.)