BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 20. Iran attaches great importance to improving international corridors to achieve sustainable development in freight transport and transit, Iran's Minister of Roads and Urban Development, Farzana Sadiq, said at an event organized in Tehran on April 20 to mark the signing of a memorandum on the purchase of railway vehicles between the Iranian Railways Company and two local companies, Trend reports.
According to him, the joint economic commissions of the Iranian Ministry of Roads and Urban Development hold weekly negotiations with Türkiye on the East-West corridor, with Iraq on the Basra-Khanagh corridor, and with Russia on the Rasht-Astara railway within the North-South corridor.
Sadiq said that the renewal of railway transport vehicles in the country and equipping them with modern vehicles is the focus of the Railways Company. In order to achieve progress in the country's economy, special importance must be given to railway freight transportation and transit.
To note, a memorandum was signed today between the Iranian Railways Company and two local companies for the purchase of more than 2,000 vehicles worth $750 million.
It should be added that the foundation of the "North-South" transport corridor was laid on the basis of the intergovernmental Agreement signed between Russia, Iran and India on September 12, 2000. In total, a number of countries have ratified the said 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 goal of creating the corridor is to reduce the delivery time for cargo from India to Russia, as well as to Northern and Western Europe (the delivery time on the current route is more than 6 weeks, and it is expected to be 3 weeks via the "North-South" route).
Within the framework of the corridor, the Qazvin-Rasht (175 km) railway was put into operation on March 6, 2019 to connect Azerbaijani railways with the Iranian railway network. The Rasht-Astara railway should be built on Iranian territory.
The North-South Corridor has 3 directions in Iran. The eastern direction is Turkmenistan and Central Asian countries, the middle direction is Russia and other countries via 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 railway in Gilan province, located in northern Iran. 9 stations will be built on the Rasht-Astara railway line, which is approximately 163 km long. With the completion of the construction of this railway, the North-South International Corridor will be improved and Iran's railway network will be connected to 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 railway. This railway is planned to be built and completed within 48 months.