Russia, Iran sign documents on land plots for Rasht-Astara railway

MOSCOW. Nov 5 (Interfax) - Russia and Iran have signed documents regarding access to land plots for the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway line.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Nikitin said that "a package of documents for the Rasht-Astara railway line project has been drawn up in Tehran. The Russian organization Caspian Services and the Iranian company CDTIC signed a protocol granting access to land plots along the entire route for advanced engineering surveys, as well as a supplementary agreement to the contract," he told reporters.

"The plots have been handed over, enabling us to continue upfront engineering and give us more time to do the necessary work. This year, Russian specialists have already built a geodetic control network and carried out aerial photography. Hydrometeorological surveys and a topographic survey are now underway," he said.

Russia and Iran began carrying out surveying for the Rasht-Astara railway line in May last year. The plans involve building a railway track 162 kilometers in length and building eight new stations, 56 trestles, 73 bridges and 30 overpasses. The section will form part of the International North-South Transport Corridor.

The International North-South Transport Corridor links northern Europe with states in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean via Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Russia, Iran and India signed an agreement on the creation of a multimodal corridor in 2002, and it now has 12 participating countries. The corridor comprises three routes - a western route along the western coast of the Caspian Sea, an eastern route along the eastern coast and the trans-Caspian route through the Caspian Sea.