BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 20. Iran intends to
diversify the North-South International Transport Corridor (NSITC)
in collaboration with Azerbaijan, the head of the Iran-Azerbaijan
Parliamentary Friendship Group, Sodeif Badri, said in an exclusive
statement to Trend.
According to Badri, the 250-kilometer-long Ardabil-Parsabad
railway line in Iran’s northwest could play a significant role in
boosting trade, transit, and cargo transportation between
Azerbaijan and Iran. The railway line has the potential to be
connected to the Imam Khomeini Port in the southwestern Khuzestan
Province.
Badri noted that a map has already been prepared for the
construction of the Ardabil-Parsabad railway line, and discussions
have taken place with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian regarding
the project. The line is currently a priority for the Iranian
government.
The Iranian MP further explained that the Ministry of Roads and
Urban Development, along with the Planning and Budget Organization
of Iran, has held talks with several local and foreign companies
regarding the financing of the railway’s construction. Preliminary
calculations indicate that the construction of the railway will
require around 200 trillion rials (around $348 million).
To note, an intergovernmental agreement signed between Russia,
Iran, and India on September 12, 2000, laid the foundation for the
North-South Transport Corridor. In general, several countries have
ratified the said agreement. (Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of
Belarus, Republic of Bulgaria, India, Islamic Republic of Iran,
Republic of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kyrgyzstan, Sultanate of Oman,
Russian Federation, Republic of Tajikistan, Republic of Türkiye,
Ukraine). The purpose of creating the corridor is to reduce the
time of delivery of goods coming from India to Russia, as well as
to Northern and Western Europe (the delivery time on the current
route is more than 6 weeks; it is expected to be three weeks via
“North-South”).
The Qazvin-Rasht railroad (175 km) was put into operation on
March 6, 2019, to connect Azerbaijan’s railroads with Iran’s
railway network within the corridor. The Rasht-Astara railroad is
to be built on Iranian territory.
The North-South Corridor has three directions within Iran. The
eastern direction is Turkmenistan and Central Asian countries; the
middle direction is Russia and other countries across the Caspian
Sea; and the western direction is Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, and
Eastern European countries.
On May 17, 2023, an agreement was signed between Russia and Iran
on the construction of the Rasht-Astara railroad in Gilan province
in northern Iran. Nine stations will be built on the Resht-Astara
railroad line, which is about 163 kilometers long. With the
completion of this railroad, the North-South international corridor
will be improved and Iran’s railroad 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 for the construction of this railroad.
This railroad will be built and completed within 48 months.
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