A Russian delegation is in Iran to review the possibility of making investments in the construction project of a strategically important Rasht-Astara railroad in northern Iran.
In case the two sides reach a final agreement, they are expected to sign an MoU on a speedy start of the project.
Iran’s Deputy Transport and Urban Development Minister for Transportation Affairs Shahriar Afandizadeh was quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency on Wednesday that the Rasht-Astara railroad is “the most important project” of the country.
He noted that the project completes the 162-km North-South corridor from Bandar Abbas to Rasht and from Rasht to Astara, and connects Iran to Russia and Northern Europe through the Azerbaijan Republic.
Referring to the Russian government’s desire for the completion of the Rasht-Astara railroad in the form of a loan or other financial methods, Afandizadeh said that in recent months, negotiations have been held with the Russian government in order to develop transit between the two countries.
Referring to a tripartite memorandum among Iran, Russia and Azerbaijan, he said the construction and operation of the railroad project are foreseen in 16 articles, which determine the type of line design, including the width of railroads of this project.
With the investment of Russians, the rail project is supposed to be completed within three years.
According to the agreement, Iranian contractors will fully implement the infrastructure of the railroad.
Iran will build a railroad from Rasht on the Caspian Sea to Astara in Azerbaijan, some 180 km to the north near the Iranian border, where it would connect with the Azeri rail system, Global Construction Review wrote.
If it goes ahead, the scheme could revive a two-decade-old idea of establishing a rail-and-sea trade route from India to Russia, billed as the International North–South Transportation Corridor.
First discussed by the parties in 2000, such a route would cut the time it takes freight to get from India to Russia from six weeks by sea only to three by a more direct land-and-sea route.