(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 6. Iran is
considering various plans to finance the construction of the
Rasht-Astara railway in Gilan Province in the north of the country,
Iranian Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development, and CEO of
Construction and Development of transportation Infrastructure
Company (CDTIC), Kheirollah Khademi told ISNA, trend reports.
Khademi stressed that the railway line, located on the
International North-South transport Corridor (INSTC), is one of its
main priorities for Iran. A total of 800 million euros is needed
for the construction of the mentioned railway line.
The deputy minister added that discussions are underway between
Iran and Russia regarding the construction of the Rasht-Astara
railway line. The representatives of Russia got acquainted with the
technical documents of this railway line, as well as the place
where the railway will be built. Currently, Iran is waiting for the
Russian public or private sector to provide needed funds as loans
or in another way.
'If the Russian side makes a good offer, Iran will accept it.
However, if there is no proposal from the Russian side or if the
proposal is not received positively by Iran, Iran will implement
the construction of this railway at the expense of local
resources,' he said.
Khademi also noted that in the coming weeks, Russia is expected
to put forward a proposal for the construction of the Rasht-Astara
railway line.
'In any case, Iran will not wait for Russia or China to make any
proposal to finance the construction of the mentioned railway line,
and will consider other ways for financing,' he pointed out.
The foundation of the 'International North-South Transport
Corridor' was laid on the basis of an intergovernmental agreement
signed between Russia, Iran, and India on September 12, 2000. In
total, 13 countries have ratified the agreement, including
Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Russia, Türkiye, etc.
The purpose of creating a corridor is to reduce the delivery
time of cargo from India to Russia, as well as to North and West
Europe. Delivery time on the current route is more than 6 weeks, it
is expected to be reduced to 3 weeks via North-South Transport
Corridor.
Iran's 175 km-long Qazvin-Rasht railway was officially put into
operation on March 6, 2019, to connect Azerbaijani railways with
the Iranian railway network within the corridor. In addition, the
167 km long Rasht-Astara railway line must be built in Iran.
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