Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 21 / Trend, N. Umid /
Completing the Qazvin-Rasht railway project needs some $323.5 million (based on the official rate of 24,730 rials per each USD), Iran's Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development Ahmad Sadeghi said, CHN news agency reported.
He went on to note that about $254.75 millions have been spent on the project.
Completing the project is among priorities of President Rouhani`s administration, he said, expressing hope that the project would be inaugurated during next solar year (which will start on March 21, 2014).
Early in July, former Deputy Minister of Road and Transportation Shahriar Afandizade said that Qazvin-Rasht-Anzali-Astara railway project has progressed by 70 percent.
"Iran has started Qazvin-Rasht section of the railway project by its national assets, because of delay in formation of the consortium between Iran, Russia and Azerbaijan," Afandizade added.
The construction of the Qazvin - Rasht - Astara (Iran) - Astara (Azerbaijan) railway was discussed at the fifth meeting of the coordinating council of the North-South transport corridor project. The need to build it as soon as possible was stressed.
It should be recalled that the Qazvin-Rasht-Anzali-Astara railway is a part of the North-South transport corridor. Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran are constructing the railway.
The volume of cargo transportation via the corridor at the first phase will reach six million tons. In the future, the volume of cargo transportation is planned to be increased up to 15 - 20 million tons.