Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 10
By Anvar Mammadov – Trend:
Construction of the railway from Azerbaijan’s Astara to the border with Iran as part of the International North-South Transport Corridor has neared completion.
Chairman of the Azerbaijan Railways CJSC Javid Gurbanov, addressing the presentation of the Azerbaijani-Russian joint venture AzRusTrans CJSC in Baku, said the construction of the railway from the Astara station to Azerbaijan’s border with Iran has been completed by 90 percent.
He said currently the work continues in cooperation with the Iranian side and it will be completed in a month.
“So far, 7 kilometers of the 8.3-kilometer railway have been constructed, and the work on the remaining section is nearing completion,” Gurbanov said. “Construction of the bridge across the Astarachay River has also neared completion. All the bridge supports and access roads have already been built.”
Azerbaijan and Iran are participants of the large and perspective International North-South Transport Corridor, which is meant to connect Northern Europe with Southeast Asia.
At the initial stage, it is planned to transport 5 million tons of cargo via the North-South corridor per year and to increase the figure to over 10 million tons in the future.
In addition to its international aspects, the corridor will have a significant role in reducing transportation costs as well as boosting the volume of trade turnover between Iran and Azerbaijan.