Preparations to construct Rasht-Astara railway line could be completed in 2026 - Russian deputy transport minister
DAGESTAN. Oct 30 (Interfax) - Russian authorities hope that preparatory work to construct the Rasht-Astara railway line in Iran will be completed next year.
"We are eagerly awaiting the completion of the Rasht-Astara railway section. The Iranian side is currently actively preparing land plots for construction. Land registration for the first 77 kilometers has been completed. Our colleagues have begun survey work. We hope very much that the preparatory work for construction will be completed next year," Russian Deputy Transport Minister Alexei Shilo said during the International Caspian Forum, which opened in Dagestan on Thursday.
As reported, Russia and Iran launched survey work for the Rasht-Astara railway line in Iran in May. Plans call for constructing 162 kilometers of track, eight new stations, 56 overhead crossings, 73 bridges, and 30 overpasses. The section will become part of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
Shilo also said that positive trends are currently observed in freight traffic along the INSTC.
"We are seeing some positive trends in freight traffic [volumes], which indicate that the corridor is in demand and has significant potential. Container traffic is in very high demand. Under current conditions, container traffic along the Astara [Iran] route has increased by 51% over the past nine months compared to last year. Container traffic along the eastern branch of the North-South Corridor has doubled," he said.
Shilo said that these positive trends inspire optimism that the corridor will continue to develop. The primary goal of any international transport corridor is to remove economic and political barriers to trade flows, he said.
As reported, Russian Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin held a working meeting with Iranian Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development Khushtang Bazvand in September this year regarding the Rasht-Astara railway construction project, during which the parties confirmed their commitment to further cooperation, sharing experience, and coordinating efforts to implement the project successfully.
"This project is a key element of transport cooperation between our countries and an important part of the INSTC," Nikitin noted at the time.
The INSTC connects northern Europe with the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean states via Russia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. The agreement to create this multimodal corridor was signed in 2000 between Russia, Iran, and India, and it currently includes 12 countries. The corridor includes the western route along the western shore of the Caspian Sea, the eastern route along the eastern shore, and the trans-Caspian route across the Caspian Sea.
