Tehran, Iran, June 20
By Kamyar Eghbalnejad, A. Shirazi - Trend:
The deputy for passenger affairs with the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways said Azerbaijan and Iran are in talks to launch a railway route between Baku and Tehran.
Negotiations are underway between Iran and Azerbaijan for the construction of a railway route between the two countries, Mir Hassan Mousavi told the Trend news agency.
The rail link is expected to connect Baku to the Azerbaijani city of Astara, he further said, adding that Astara will be also linked to the Iranian city of the same name and finally the capital Tehran.
Mousavi said the two sides are seeking to address potential problems, do the formalities, and remove customs duties so that they can accelerate the pace of the route constriction.
“The route will be launched after completion of the Rasht-Astara rail segment as part of the International North-South Transportation Corridor,” he said.
We will see three trains departing stations from Baku to Iran’s Mashhad, Isfahan and Tehran in the near future with the completion of the Rasht-Astara rail route, he said.
Mousavi added that with the launch of Baku-Tehran rail route, the two countries’ manufacturers, industrialists, and businessmen can easily commute.
He added that now both sides’ customs organizations are coordinating and overseeing duties and passport regulations in a bid to determine rail boundary between the two nations.
He concluded that lack of enough passengers is the main challenge of a passenger train service between Iran’s northeastern city of Mashhad and Nakhchivan, in Azerbaijan, adding that the sides are working to settle the problem.