BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 7. Construction of a railroad located in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) between Khuzestan Province and Lorestan Province in southwestern Iran continues, the Iranian Ministry of Roads and Urban Development said, Trend reports.
According to the information, the construction of the Andimeshk-Khorramabad-Doroud railroad in Khuzestan province, with a length of 333 kilometers, is going a difficult way as it passes through rocky and mountainous terrain.
The physical works on the 114-kilometer-long Khorramabad-Dorud railroad are 51 percent complete.
The first phase of a survey on the Andimeshk-Khorramabad railroad section has been completed, and the survey on the second phase is in progress.
Besides, from the beginning of the current Iranian year (from March 20, 2024 through March 20, 2025), it is planned to allocate additional funds for the construction of this railroad. Thus, with the sale of crude oil, $1.2 billion is expected to be allocated for the construction of this railroad.
Additionally, it should be noted that the construction of the Andimeshk-Khorramabad-Dorood railroad started in 2001. It is expected that 500 trillion rials (about $11.9 billion) will be spent on the construction of this railroad.
To note, an intergovernmental agreement signed between Russia, Iran, and India on September 12, 2000, laid the foundation for the INSTC. Generally, several countries have ratified the mentioned agreement. (Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Belarus, Republic of Bulgaria, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kyrgyzstan, Sultanate of Oman, Russian Federation, Republic of Tajikistan, Republic of Türkiye, Ukraine). The purpose of the corridor is to reduce the delivery time of cargo traveling from India to Russia, as well as to Northern and Western Europe (the delivery time on the current route is more than 6 weeks; it is expected to be 3 weeks via the INSTC).
The INSTC has three directions within Iran. The eastern direction is Turkmenistan and Central Asian countries; the middle direction is Russia and other countries across the Caspian Sea; and the western direction is Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, and Eastern European countries.
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