BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 19. The agreement on the construction of the Rasht-Astara railroad located in the north of Iran within the framework of the international North-South corridor will be signed between Iran and Russia in the near future, the Iranian ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali said, Trend reports.
He claims that the final price for building the Rasht-Astara railroad is now set in stone. Russia is fully interested in the construction of this railroad.
Jalali pointed out that the construction of the Rasht-Astara railroad line has hit a few bumps in the road over the past few months. This came about because of the shakeup in the Iranian government.
To note, on May 17, 2023, Russia and Iran signed an agreement to build the Rasht-Astara railroad line in Gilan province, northern Iran. The 163-kilometer-long Rasht-Astara railway line will house nine stations. The completion of this railroad will enhance the North-South international corridor and connect Iran's railroad network to the Caucasus countries, Russia, and Northern European countries. Under the agreement, the Russian side is to spend 1.6 billion euros on the construction of this railroad. This railroad is planned to be built and completed within 48 months.
The Russian company Caspian Services and the Iranian company Construction and Development of Transport Infrastructure will carry out the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway line.
The intergovernmental agreement signed between Russia, Iran, and India on September 12, 2000, 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, Republic of Kyrgyzstan, Sultanate of Oman, Russian Federation, Republic of Tajikistan, Republic of Türkiye, Ukraine). The corridor aims to shorten the cargo delivery time from India to Russia and Northern and Western Europe, which currently takes over 6 weeks, by utilizing the "North-South" route.
On March 6, 2019, the Qazvin-Rasht railroad (175 km) went into operation, connecting Azerbaijan's railroads with Iran's railway network within the corridor. Iranian territory will host the construction of the Rasht-Astara railroad.
The North-South Corridor 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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