Russia says Iran’s Rasht-Astara railway to be completed by 2030

The Rasht-Astara railway in northern Iran, a key missing link in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), is expected to be completed by 2030, a senior Russian Railways official said.

Construction of the railway is expected to begin next year, Interfax quoted Sergei Pavlov, First Deputy CEO of Russian Railways, as saying.

Pavlov said the project was due to be completed within three years of the start of construction, in line with the terms of an intergovernmental agreement.

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“Survey work is already underway and has been fully scaled up. It began early this year, was later suspended due to military hostilities, and has now resumed in full,” Pavlov said.

The 162-km (101-mile) Rasht-Astara railway will form part of the North-South transport corridor. The project includes the construction of railway tracks, eight new stations, 56 viaducts, 73 bridges and 30 overpasses.

The project is estimated to cost 1.6 billion euros, of which Russia is expected to provide 1.3 billion euros.

News.Az