Iran Resolved to Complete Rasht-Astara Railroad: President

In a meeting in Tehran on Monday, Pezeshkian and Russian Deputy Prime Minister for Transport Vitaly Savelyev discussed plans to expedite the construction of the Rasht-Astara railroad in Iran’s northern province of Gilan.

The Iranian president said his administration is determined to carry out the joint project within the framework of an agreement with Russia.

He noted that Russia can immediately start the preliminary stages of the project and survey the railroad route, adding that Iran will also honor its commitments in due time.

“The government of Iran emphasizes the implementation of this agreement,” Pezeshkian stated, saying Iran’s minister of roads and urban development is in charge of the case.

For his part, Savelyev said Russia has provided a line of credit for the Rasht-Astara railroad project, is cooperating with the Republic of Azerbaijan on the North-South Corridor, and expects Iran to carry out the agreement.

Highlighting Russia’s push to accelerate the implementation of the project, the deputy prime minister said Russia and the Republic of Azerbaijan have agreed to update and modernize the section of the railroad that passes through their territories.

He also hailed a rise in the volume of shipment of commodities between Russia and Iran, expecting that the completion of the Rasht-Astara railroad will increase the capacity of shipment of goods between the two countries to 15 million tons in the first phase.

Savelyev invited the Iranian president to visit Russia in the early days of 2025 for negotiations.

The International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is a 7,200-km long multi-mode network of ship, rail and road route for moving freight between India, Iran, Republic of Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.

Iranian officials have estimated that the Rasht-Astara railroad will allow for the transportation of one million passengers as well as 10 million tons of cargo in the first year of service.