Tehran, Iran, April 4
By Kamyar Eghbalnejad – Trend:
The Railways of the Islamic Republic of Iran (RAI) plans to hold a tender on selecting contractors for constructing an Azerbaijan-backed railroad segment in the coming months, a senior official told Trend.
“The documents for the tender on the construction of Rasht-Astara railway are being prepared and the tender will be held during spring in the current year,” Nourollah Beiranvand, the deputy for planning and investment at the RAI said.
The official suggested that a consortium including domestic and international contractors would be formed to complete the project.
The 170-kilometer long railway is a crucial part of the larger North-South Transportation Corridor which is designed to connect northern Europe with India and South-East Asia. The route will also connect the railways of Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia.
At an initial stage, six million tons of cargo are planned to be transported through the corridor per year and 15-20 million tons of cargo in future.