BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 16. Iran plans to
complete construction of the Rasht-Astara railway line in the
country’s north within a maximum period of four years as part of
the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), said Amin
Taraffo, head of the International Affairs Center at Iran’s
Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, Trend reports.


Speaking today at a press conference held during the 9th
Transport, Logistics, and Related Services Exhibition in Tehran,
Taraffo noted that the process of purchasing property along the
route of the Rasht-Astara railway line is currently ongoing.


"So far, ownership of more than 100 kilometers of land has been
acquired, and this process will be completed by the end of the
current Iranian year (March 20, 2026)," he said.


Taraffo added that Iran and Russia are finalizing the details of
the contract for the construction of the railway line. The
agreement is expected to be signed within the next two months. This
will allow construction to begin on the Rasht-Astara railway, which
is considered the missing rail segment within the INSTC.


The ministry official also stated that since a loan worth 1.6
billion euros for the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway will
be provided by Russia, the contractor company will also be
Russian.


The intergovernmental agreement signed on September 12, 2000,
between Russia, Iran, and India laid the foundational framework for
the North-South Transport Corridor. Since then, several countries
have ratified the agreement, including Azerbaijan, Belarus,
Bulgaria, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Russia,
Tajikistan, Türkiye, and Ukraine. The primary objective of the
corridor is to significantly reduce the delivery time for cargo
traveling from India to Russia, as well as to Northern and Western
Europe. While the existing route takes over six weeks, the
North-South Corridor is expected to shorten this to just three
weeks.







On March 6, 2019, the 175 km Gazvin-Rasht railway began
operations, connecting Azerbaijan’s rail network with Iran’s
infrastructure within the corridor. Additionally, the Rasht-Astara
railway is set to be constructed on Iranian soil.


The North-South Corridor within Iran comprises three main
routes. The eastern route connects to Turkmenistan and Central
Asian countries; the central route links to Russia and other
nations across the Caspian Sea; and the western route connects to
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, and Eastern Europe.


On May 17, 2023, Russia and Iran signed an agreement to build
the Rasht-Astara railway in Gilan Province in northern Iran. This
163 km railway will feature nine stations and is expected to
enhance the North-South Corridor’s efficiency. Upon completion, it
will integrate Iran's railway network with those of the Caucasus,
Russia, and Northern Europe. Under the terms of the agreement,
Russia is committed to investing 1.6 billion euros in the
construction of the railway, which is slated to be completed within
48 months.


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