BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 20. The commissioning ceremony of the Rasht-Caspian railroad was held in Iran's Gilan province, Trend reports.
The launching ceremony was attended by acting Iranian President Mohammad Mokhber.
The Rasht-Caspian railroad is considered an additional link in the North-South transportation corridor, and this important project is known as a bridge connecting European countries with the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf.
Furthermore, it is planned to build the next section of tracks from the port of Caspian to the city of Astara in the northwest of the country.
Meanwhile, an agreement was signed on May 17, 2023, between Russia and Iran on the construction of the Rasht-Astara railroad in the province of Gilan in northern Iran. A total of nine stations will be built on the 163-kilometer-long Rasht-Astara railroad line. With the completion of this railroad, the North-South international corridor will be improved, and Iran's railroad network will be connected 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.
To note, the intergovernmental agreement signed between Russia, Iran, and India on September 12, 2000, laid the foundation for the North-South Transport Corridor. Several countries (the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Bulgaria, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, the Sultanate of Oman, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Republic of Türkiye, and Ukraine) have ratified the mentioned Agreement. The purpose of the corridor is to reduce the delivery time of cargo traveling from India to Russia, as well as to Northern and Western Europe (the delivery time along the existing route is more than 6 weeks; it is expected to be 3 weeks via "North-South".
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