BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 6. Iran will soon begin the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway, which is part of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) that connects India, Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia, Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development, Mehrdad Bazrpash said, Trend reports.
Bazrpash said that a contract will be signed in the next few days between Iranian and Russian firms to start the project.
The minister also said that the project will be funded by a state loan from Russia, as per the contract between the two countries.
On May 17, 2023, Russia and Iran signed an agreement to build the Rasht-Astara railway in Gilan province. The railway will be 163 km long and have nine stations. This project will improve the North-South International Corridor and link Iran’s railway network to the Caucasus countries, Russia, and Northern Europe.
The Russian side is expected to invest 1.6 billion euros in this project, which is planned to be finished in 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, so it is expected to be reduced to 3 weeks via the 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. In addition, the 167-kilometer-long Rasht-Astara railway line will be built in Iran.
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