Authors
Eirini Anastasiadou
Journal
ICON, Volume 31, Issue 1 (2026)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.11590/icon.2026.1.02
Abstract
This article examines the early history of the Trans-Asian Railway (TAR), a United Nations project developed within the framework of ECAFE from the 1960s onwards. The project aimed to create a railway corridor linking Istanbul and Singapore. The article focuses on the western part of the corridor. It argues that the TAR functioned as a “technological blueprint” that embodied particular visions of regional integration, economic development, and international cooperation in postcolonial Asia.
Drawing on archival research in United Nations and SNCF records, the paper explores how railway experts, governments, and international organisations negotiated the project’s technical and institutional dimensions through processes of techno-diplomacy. Special attention is given to the western section of the corridor, connecting Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan, which was promoted as an alternative transport route between Europe and Asia during the Cold War, particularly after the closure of the Suez Canal in 1967.
The article argues that, although the TAR reflected ambitious aspirations for regional connectivity and solidarity, geopolitical tensions, economic constraints, and political transformations—particularly the reopening of the Suez Canal and the Iranian Revolution—prevented its realisation in its original form. It concludes that contemporary railway and intermodal corridor projects continue to reflect shifting geopolitical priorities in Eurasia.