Rail to Aktau (Kazakhstan), then the Caspian service to Anzali (Bandar Anzali) in Iran, and on through the Iranian network to Aprin dry port in Tehran. The Caspian leg itself is usually 24–48 hours. Of the three corridors, this is the only one with a sea leg — and that is also how it avoids a gauge-change queue at a land border.
Aktau is on the eastern Caspian, in Kazakhstan's Mangystau region. It is the country's main Caspian port, with a container terminal, bulk berths and ro-ro facilities, and it is on the rail network that links inland Kazakhstan with the Chinese border. Regular services run between the port and Baku in Azerbaijan, Makhachkala in Russia and Anzali in Iran. That triangle is the core of the Trans-Caspian corridor.
Anzali is in Gilan Province in northern Iran, the main Iranian port on the Caspian, and it has a free zone. Iran has been shifting import gateways, moving a substantial share of cargo that used to enter through the southern ports onto northern ports and overland corridors, and Anzali's throughput has grown with that. For a Chinese exporter the value of this corridor is that it avoids the Strait of Hormuz and also avoids a gauge-change queue at a land border.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Corridor | Rail-sea-rail, including a Caspian leg |
| Exit border | Khorgos (alternative: Alashankou) |
| Sea ports | Aktau, Kazakhstan (KZAKU) → Anzali, Iran |
| Caspian leg | Usually 24–48 hours (sailing and weather) |
| Full transit | 28–35 days (including consolidation, handling and the clearance queue at both ends; it moves with capacity) |
| End point | Aprin dry port, Tehran; delivery in northern Iran is also possible |
| Equipment | 20GP / 40GP / 40HQ; shipper-owned (SOC) containers can be arranged |
| Clearance | DAP (consignee clears) or DDP (we clear both ends, duties and taxes included) |
| Comparison | Aktau–Anzali (this page) | Sarakhs | Incheh Borun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea leg | Yes, Caspian 24–48 hours | No, all rail | No, all rail |
| Where it enters Iran | Northern Caspian coast (Anzali) | Northeast (toward Mashhad) | North (toward Golestan) |
| Main risk | Storage and sailings at Aktau, winter weather | Gauge-change queue | Gauge-change queue |
| Delivery that fits | Northern Iran and the Caspian coast | Tehran and central-eastern Iran | Tehran and northern Iran |
| Current transit | All three corridors are 28–35 days, moving with the queue that week. Confirm it live | ||
The comparison is there to point you at a direction. The actual choice follows space that can be booked and a price that can be executed. Back to China to Iran rail freight for the three-corridor summary and the six departure cities.
Aktau and Anzali have regular ro-ro and container sailings. The Caspian leg itself is usually 24–48 hours. Because a sailing has to be connected and the ports have to handle the box, the full move from a Chinese departure terminal to Tehran is currently 28–35 days.
The Caspian is an inland sea. Conditions are clearly better than an open-ocean route such as the Indian Ocean, and the number of operable days in a year is high. In winter gales, though, Aktau and Anzali can still suspend sailings or stack containers. That is why urgent cargo should carry a buffer, and why a backup corridor should be ready.
Cargo for northern Iran (Gilan and the Anzali area), cargo that needs distribution through a Caspian port, and FCL that should not sit in a land-border gauge-change queue. If the consignee is in Tehran or in central and southern Iran, we usually price this against the all-rail corridors via Sarakhs and Incheh Borun before anyone decides.
There is no standing answer. It depends on Caspian vessel supply that week, the land-border queue, and your equipment and volume. The sea leg adds port handling and a ferry or liner slot, but a long wait at a congested land border can cost more. One enquiry produces an executable price for both.
Anzali is in Gilan Province, an important Caspian port, and it has a free zone. Goods that will be sold inside Iran still need import customs clearance. Formal clearance is usually at Aprin dry port in Tehran, and it can also be completed at another terminal with a customs function if the delivery is arranged that way. The binding arrangement is the one in force that week.
Yes. Caspian vessel capacity is limited. With ocean access constrained and land demand concentrated, container storage and sailing connections at Aktau can queue. That is why we price all three corridors together and do not bet the shipment on one of them.