Pakistani government has inaugurated a freight train service between Islamabad, Tehran and Istanbul (ITI) on Tuesday as part of efforts to boost trade among three countries.

At the ceremony and in the presence of diplomats from Iran, Turkey, Tajikistan and Pakistan, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Tuesday evening: "Resuming ITI freight train plays a crucial role in developing regional trade."

Pakistan's Federal Minister for Railways, Muhammad Azam Khan Swati, also stated that this is the first phase of the ITI train, and efforts would be made to add a passenger train to the system in the future.

With the operation of the ITI freight train, the transit route of goods from Istanbul to Islamabad will be greatly reduced. In the pilot phase, the freight train from Islamabad to Istanbul took approximately 13 days to travel 6,500 km but was later reduced to 11 days.

Previously, shipping from European countries to Pakistan by sea took about 45 days.