Preparations for Rasht-Astara railway construction continue, Iranian governor says

Hadi Haqshenas, governor of Iran's Gilan province, told Trend that operational work on the Rasht-Astara railway is continuing as part of the International North-South Transport Corridor. He said that about 120 kilometres of the 162-kilometre line's land has been purchased from citizens.

Haqshenas added that the purchase of 42 kilometres of property is ongoing and that, as payments are made to owners, the acquisition of these areas will also be completed. He also said that a 60-kilometre section of the railway bed along the route has been reinforced. The construction of the line is expected to be started by either a foreign or a local contractor.

The North-South corridor was founded under an intergovernmental agreement signed on September 12, 2000, by Russia, Iran and India. The Qazvin-Rasht line (175 km) was commissioned on March 6, 2019, to connect Azerbaijani railways with Iran's network. On May 17, 2023, Russia and Iran signed an agreement on building the Rasht-Astara railway. The project will include nine stations, and the Russian side is expected to spend 1.6 billion euros. Construction is planned to be completed within 48 months.