BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 24. Rovshan Rustamov, Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways, held a meeting with Jabbar Ali Zakeri, President of the Iranian Railways, during his official visit to the country’s Astara Terminal, Trend reports via Azerbaijan Railways.
The discussions focused on the key phases and implementation timelines of the terminal’s development, as well as the goal of completing construction works by the end of this year.
The sides noted that significant progress has been made on the Astara Terminal project, located within the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran and considered a key component of the North-South International Transport Corridor. Specifically, 90 percent of the design work and approximately 75 percent of the construction and installation work have been completed.
The Strategic Cooperation Plan signed between Azerbaijan Railways and Iranian Railways at the beginning of 2025 - regarding the execution of the "Construction and Operation Agreement of the Astara Terminal" - is expected to facilitate the timely completion of the project.
Once operational, the terminal will enhance freight volumes and streamline logistics under the North-South corridor.
Construction of the terminal began in 2017 based on an agreement between the governments of Azerbaijan and Iran. The facility, built by ADY, is located on a land plot leased to Azerbaijan by Iran for a 25-year term.
The terminal handled over 692,000 tons of cargo in 2023 and more than 777,000 tons in 2024. Upon full completion, its annual cargo handling capacity is expected to reach 3.5 million tons.
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