Iran Eyes Major Freight Gains Via Azerbaijan's Astara In Strategic North-South Corridor

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 10.​ The commissioning of the Rasht-Astara railway in Gilan Province, located in northern Iran, within the framework of the North-South International Transport Corridor, will significantly increase freight transport through the Astara border crossing, Hadi Haghshenas, the governor of Gilan Province, located in northern Iran, said, Trend reports.

Speaking during a meeting with the new Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan, Mojtaba Demirchilu, the governor noted that currently 35 wagons enter the country daily via the Astara railway line, and the wagons return after unloading and loading operations.

The Iranian governor also said that Astara has the potential to become a logistics and transit hub in the region, for which infrastructure in the customs, terminal, warehouse, and transport sectors should be developed.

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 (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Russia, Tajikistan, 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.

Meanwhile, 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 the Caucasus countries, Russia, and Northern European countries. According to the agreement, the Russian side is expected to spend 1.6 billion euros on the construction of this railroad. This railroad will be built and completed within 48 months.

MENAFN10062025000187011040ID1109655001