Iran to launch Rasht-Caspian railroad in a bid for regional integration

TABNAK: Iran plans to inaugurate Rasht-Caspian Railroad on Thursday in a ceremony to be attended by Russian and Azerbaijani officials as Iran’s neighbors are pressing ahead with launching parallel corridors to remove Iran from regional transit.

The 37-km railroad is one of the prioritized projects for Tehran and a key part of North-South Corridor. The rail route links Iran’s northern Gilan Province to Anzali Port via railroad. The connection is so crucial for Iran in terms of trade transactions with regional and European countries.

The fore-mentioned railway is the last section of sea to sea rail corridor  which connects Iran’s railroads from north to south.

Russia and Iran signed an agreement on May 17, 2023, to build the Rasht-Astara railroad line in Gilan province in northern Iran. A total of 9 stations will be built on the Rasht-Astara railroad line, which is about 163 kilometers long. With the finalization of this railroad, the North-South international corridor will be improved, and Iran's railway 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.

Additionally, it should be noted that the intergovernmental agreement signed on September 12, 2000, between Russia, Iran, and India laid the foundation for the North-South Transport Corridor. In general, several countries have ratified the agreement. (Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Belarus, Republic of Bulgaria, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Sultanate of Oman, Russian Federation, Republic of Tajikistan, Republic of Türkiye, Ukraine). The purpose of the corridor is to reduce the time of cargo delivery from India to Russia, as well as to Northern and Western Europe (the delivery time along the current route is more than 6 weeks, and through "North-South" is expected to be 3 weeks).

In order to connect Azerbaijan Railways with the Iranian railroad network within the corridor, the Qazvin-Rasht railroad (175 km) was put into operation on March 6, 2019. The Rasht-Astara railroad is to be built on the territory of Iran.