BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 7. Iran is working to upgrade nine major transit corridors by improving their rail networks, with an investment of 10 billion euros, Deputy Director of Iran’s Transport Infrastructure Construction and Development Company, Abbas Khatibi told reporters, Trend reports.
In a statement to Iranian media, Khatibi explained that the planned railways will span 17,000 kilometers across the country.
The official said that if the necessary funding is secured, these rail lines could be constructed and operational within three to seven years, significantly increasing the country’s freight transport capacity via rail to 60 million tons per year.
“Currently, our company is involved in building around 10,000 kilometers of railways across 34 projects. More than 3,000 kilometers are under construction, while over 6,000 kilometers are in the research phase,” he added.
Khatibi also highlighted that among these corridors, the North-South and East-West routes are deemed to hold the most strategic importance.
To note, 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. (Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Belarus, Republic of Bulgaria, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kyrgyzstan, Sultanate of Oman, Russian Federation, Republic of Tajikistan, Republic of 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.
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 Caucasus countries, Russia, and Northern European countries. According to the agreement, the Russian side is expected to spend 1.6 billion euros for the construction of this railroad. This railroad will be built and completed within 48 months.