Roman Starovoit, Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation, and Farzaneh Sadegh, Minister of Roads and Urban Development of the Islamic Republic of Iran, gave a videoconference start to survey work for the construction of the Resht-Astara railway line in Iran. An intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the construction of this section was signed in the presence of the presidents of Russia and Iran in 2023.
“The construction of the railway line is necessary for the development of transportation along the North – South international transport corridor, which is the most important transport artery between the countries of the Caspian basin, the Persian Gulf, Central, South and Southeast Asia,” Starovoit stressed. The project envisages construction of a railroad track about 162 km long, 8 new stations, 56 overpasses, 73 bridges, and 30 viaducts.
Currently, the North-South international transport corridor operates in a multimodal format. In 2024, the volume of transportation along the corridor was about 20 million tons, including 9.5 million tons on the western route.
“After the project is completed, new railway infrastructure will be created capable of ensuring the transportation of at least 15 million tons of cargo per year along the western route. A single ‘seamless infrastructure will be created from the southern shores of Iran to Russia’s northern seaports,” Starovoit said.
Photo: RF Transport Ministry