BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 4. Efforts have been accelerated in Iran's Gilan Province for the acquisition of land along the Rasht-Astara railway route, part of the North-South International Transport Corridor, said the country’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development, Farzaneh Sadegh, Trend reports.
Speaking today during a press conference in Tehran, Sadegh noted that the purchase of the land along the Rasht-Astara railway line from local citizens will be completed by the end of the coming Iranian year (from March 21, 2025, through March 20, 2026).
The minister also highlighted that over the past six months, Iran has held numerous meetings with Russia and Azerbaijan regarding the development of the Rasht-Astara railway line.
Sadegh stated that, in addition, the Russian side has initiated research on the Rasht-Astara railway line.
The Iranian minister also noted that Azerbaijan is keen on the commissioning of the Rasht-Astara railway line. Iran anticipates that this railway will facilitate the transport of 15 million tons of cargo annually.
To note, an 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 said 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 creating the corridor is to reduce the time of delivery of goods coming 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 three weeks via “North-South”).
The Qazvin-Rasht railroad (175 km) was put into operation on March 6, 2019, to connect Azerbaijan's railroads with Iran's railway network within the corridor. The Rasht-Astara railroad is to be built on Iranian territory.
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.
On May 17, 2023, an agreement was signed between Russia and Iran on the construction of the Rasht-Astara railroad in Gilan province in northern Iran. Nine stations will be built on the Resht-Astara railroad line, which is about 163 kilometers long. With the completion of this railroad, the North-South international corridor will be improved, and Iran's railroad 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 for the construction of this railroad. This railroad will be built and completed within 48 months.
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