BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 15. In Gilan Province, the Iranian Rasht-Astara railroad line is being built to contribute to the North-South International Corridor, Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash told reporters on May 15 after the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers in Tehran, Trend reports.
He cites the purchase of territory from the community where the railroad line passes.
The Iranian minister added that Iranian and Russian companies have already been announced for the construction of the Rasht-Astara railroad and the minimum payment has already been made. Research on the geotechnical issues of the area is underway.
Bazrpash noted that serious steps will be taken in the current Iranian year (from March 20, 2024, through March 20, 2025) for the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway line.
He emphasized that, in addition, the construction of the Rasht-Caspian railroad line in Iran's Gilan province has already been completed and is scheduled to be put into operation soon.
To note, Russia and Iran signed an agreement on May 17, 2023, to build the Rasht-Astara railroad line in Gilan province in northern Iran. A total of 9 stations will be built on the Rasht-Astara railroad line, which is about 163 kilometers long. With the finalization of this railroad, the North-South international corridor will be improved, and Iran's railway network will be integrated with 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 railroad. This railroad will be built and completed within 48 months.
Meanwhile, the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway line will be carried out by the Russian company Caspian Services and the Iranian Construction and Development of Transportation Infrastructures Company.
Additionally, it should be noted that the intergovernmental agreement signed on September 12, 2000, between Russia, Iran, and India laid the foundation for the North-South Transport Corridor. In general, several countries have ratified the agreement. (Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Belarus, Republic of Bulgaria, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Sultanate of Oman, Russian Federation, Republic of Tajikistan, Republic of Türkiye, Ukraine). The purpose of the corridor is to reduce the time of cargo delivery from India to Russia, as well as to Northern and Western Europe (the delivery time along the current route is more than 6 weeks, and through "North-South" is expected to be 3 weeks).
In order to connect Azerbaijan Railways with the Iranian railroad network within the corridor, the Qazvin-Rasht railroad (175 km) was put into operation on March 6, 2019. The Rasht-Astara railroad is to be built on the territory of Iran.
The north-south corridor has 3 directions in the territory of Iran. Eastern direction-Turkmenistan and Central Asian countries, Middle direction: other countries across the Caspian Sea, Western direction: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, and Eastern European countries.
The length of the Rasht-Caspian railway line is 35 kilometers.
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