BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 4. A number of steps are being taken to increase annual cargo transportation between Iran and Russia to 30 million tons, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation, Igor Levitin told reporters, Trend reports.
He made the remark on the sidelines of the Iran-India-Russia tripartite meeting on the simplification of transit on the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) in Tehran on July 4.
According to Levitin, cargo transportation and transit through Iran is of great importance for Russia.
He added that transit cooperation with India and Iran will allow increase cargo transportation through the INSTC.
“The Russian state has decided to provide funds for the construction of Iran’s Rasht-Astara railway line in Gilan Province within the North-South Transport Corridor,” Levitin noted.
The official also pointed out that Russia allocated a budget for building ships in the Caspian Sea.
On May 17, 2023, an agreement was signed between Russia and Iran on the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway line.
In general, 9 stations will be built on the 163 km long Rasht-Astara railway line. With the completion of the construction of this railway, the International North-South Transport Corridor will be improved and Iran's railway network will be connected to the Caucasus countries, Russia and Northern European countries.
According to the agreement, the Russian side is expected to spend 1.6 billion euros on the construction of this railway. This railway is planned to be built and completed within 48 months.
The foundation of the ‘International North-South Transport Corridor’ was laid on the basis of an intergovernmental agreement signed between Russia, Iran, and India on September 12, 2000. In total, 13 countries have ratified the agreement, including Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Russia, Türkiye, etc.
The purpose of creating a corridor is to reduce the delivery time of cargo from India to Russia, as well as to North and West Europe. Delivery time on the current route is more than 6 weeks, it is expected to be reduced to 3 weeks via North-South Transport Corridor.
Iran's 175 km-long Qazvin-Rasht railway was officially put into operation on March 6, 2019, to connect Azerbaijani railways with the Iranian railway network within the corridor.