Rasht-Astara railway construction set to begin next year

The construction of the Rasht-Astara railway line is scheduled to commence in 2026, following the completion of the land acquisition process. A Russian contractor has already secured a €1.6 billion export credit for the project.

Iran plans to finalize the land acquisition for the Rasht-Astara railway segment by the end of 2025, after which implementation will begin, head of the International Affairs Center at Iran's Ministry of Roads and Urban Development Amin Tarfa’a said.

The primary prerequisites for launching transport infrastructure projects are land procurement and contractor financing, with Russia and China acting as the key contractors.

Amin Tarfa’a said that Iran's Planning and Budget Organization has already allocated the financial resources, and the country's Construction and Development of Transportation Infrastructure Company has facilitated the conditions for land purchase and the start of construction, Tasnim reported.

"As each stage of the land purchase is completed, new plots are handed over to the contractor to continue design studies and investments. In this regard, a €1.6 billion export credit has been allocated to the Russian contractor for the construction," Tarfa’a said.

According to him, the Russian contractor has already received 34 km of acquired land for survey and design work. All necessary approvals to begin construction have also been finalized with the Chinese side, head of the International Affairs Center added.