Russia and Iran hope to begin construction work on the Rasht-Astara railway line in northern Iran in 2027 and complete it within three years, Russian Railways First Deputy CEO Sergei Pavlov said.
"[Construction is expected to start] next year," Sergei Pavlov said.
He said that construction was expected to be complete within three years in accordance with the conditions of the intergovernmental agreement.
"It [the project] is being implemented, and surveying work is already in full swing there. It began at the start of this year, then there was a pause due to the military action, and now it has been fully resumed," Sergei Pavlov said.
The plans involve building a railway track 162 km in length and building eight new stations, 56 trestles, 73 bridges and 30 overpasses. The section will form part of the International North-South Transport Corridor.
The total cost of the project is 1.6 billion euros, of which Russia will provide 1.3 billion euros. Once completed, the railway alone is expected to carry at least 15 million tonnes of freight a year, Interfax reported.
