Dates for start of railway construction between Azerbaijan and Iran revealed

Construction of the railway corridor between Iran and Azerbaijan Rasht - Astara will begin in a month and a half, Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development of Iran Shahriyar Afandizadeh said, Report informs referring to Tasnim news agency.

“According to the agreement reached, we hope to start implementing this project from the beginning of 2024, in about a month and a half,” the deputy minister said.

Afandizadeh also noted that the 162-kilometer section of the Rasht-Astara railway is the most important railway project in the Islamic republic at the moment.

On May 17, Russia and Iran entered into an agreement within the North-South project on the joint construction of the Rasht-Astara road section between Azerbaijan and Iran, which will provide through passage to the ports of the Persian Gulf.

The total cost of the project is 1.6 billion euros. An interstate loan in the amount of 1.3 billion euros will be allocated for the construction of the section.

According to the document, Moscow and Tehran will jointly finance the design, construction, as well as the supply of goods and services.

It is expected that the Rasht-Astara line will be built with the participation of Moscow and Tehran, and the Astara-Astara line with the participation of Moscow, Tehran and Baku.