BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 14. Iran and Russia
signed two agreements for the construction of the Rasht-Astara
railway as part of the International North-South Transport Corridor
(INSTC) on February 14, Trend reports, citing the Ministry of Roads and Urban
Development of Iran.


The agreements were signed on the Russian side with its Caspian
Service Company. Under the first agreement, construction operations
on 125 km of land purchased from private owners will be managed by
Russia. The second agreement establishes technical and contractor
operations for the Rasht-Astara railway, finalizing the project’s
technical details for both parties.









Within the framework of the INSTC, ownership of 125 km of land
along the planned 162 km Rasht-Astara railway route in northern
Iran has been acquired from private landowners.


The intergovernmental agreement signed between Russia, Iran, and
India on September 12, 2000, laid the foundation for the
North-South Transport Corridor. In general, several countries have
ratified the said agreement. (Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of
Belarus, Republic of Bulgaria, India, Islamic Republic of Iran,
Republic of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kyrgyzstan, Sultanate of Oman,
Russian Federation, Republic of Tajikistan, Republic of Türkiye,
Ukraine). The purpose of establishing 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 six weeks; it is expected to be three
weeks via North-South).


The Gazvin-Rasht railroad, stretching 175 km, hit the ground
running on March 6, 2019, linking Azerbaijan's railroads with
Iran's railway network in the corridor. The Rasht-Astara railroad
is set to take shape on Iranian soil.







The North-South Corridor has three directions within Iran. The
eastern direction is Turkmenistan and Central Asian countries, the
middle direction is Russia and other countries across the Caspian
Sea, and the western direction is Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, and
Eastern European countries.


Russia and Iran signed an agreement on May 17, 2023, to build
the Rasht-Astara railroad in Gilan province in northern Iran. Nine
stations will be built on the Rasht-Astara railroad line, which is
about 163 kilometers long. With the completion of this railroad,
the North-South international corridor will be improved, and Iran's
railroad network will be integrated with Caucasus countries,
Russia, and Northern European countries. According to the
agreement, the Russian side is expected to spend 1.6 billion euros
for the construction of this railroad. This railroad will be built
and completed within 48 months.


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