Russia and Iran to sign agreements on Rasht-Astara railway construction

Houshang Bazvend, Iran’s Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development and head of the Construction and Development of Transportation Infrastructures Company, confirmed the signing as part of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) development.

Under the agreements, Russia’s Caspian Service company will undertake construction of a 125 km section of the 162 km Rasht-Astara route. A second document will address technical and contracting arrangements, which will allow for the technical details of the project to be agreed upon.

Once operational, the Rasht-Astara railway will significantly enhance Iran’s international freight and transit capacity. According to Bazvend, the corridor could generate transit revenues for Iran comparable to its income from oil exports.