Ceremony marks opening of the new railway in the Turkmenian village of Ak Yayla, Dec. 3, 2014. Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Iran on Wednesday inaugurated the new railway route that will improve resource-rich Central Asia’s access to markets in the Middle East and South Asia.

The the presidents of Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan attended the official opening of the line in the Turkmen frontier village of Ak-Yayla. Children handed white gloves to the leaders, together bolted a final golden-colored segment of track into place.

The 928-kilometer (577-mile) route, which runs from western Kazakhstan to the northern Iranian city of Gorgan, will substantially hasten transportation of cargo between a long-isolated region and markets in the Middle East and Asia.
The line is intended to transport cargo, although there are plans to eventually open it to passengers.