Azernews.Az

By Trend

In a few days a piece of railway line Astara (Iran) – Astara (Azerbaijan) connecting the two countries’ railway networks is scheduled to be commissioned.

For Iran, launching of the cross-border corridor is one of the milestones in the way of implementation of several projects aimed at turning Iran into a transit country between Asia and Europe. The corridor can rightfully be called one of the most essential external railway links, giving Iran an overland access to the North – Russia and the Northern Europe.

Construction activities of the 10 km corridor began in 2016. The piece of the line begins on territory of Azerbaijan at a distance of 8.3 km from the state border with Iran, and then extends 1.4 km to Iran’s Astara. The whole work also includes the construction of a bridge on Astarachay River that stretches along the border.

Azerbaijan invested about $60 million in construction of the railway corridor connecting two homonymous cities, as well as in the construction of a railway station and cargo terminals in Iran’s territory.

In total, four terminals should be built for the cargo storage - container, general cargo, oil and grain. At the first stage, it is planned to launch two terminals - container and general cargo.

It is planned that Azerbaijan will have the right to operate the Astara-Astara line and a railway station in Iran’s Astara for 15 years as well as the terminals located in Iran’s Astara, for 25 years.

Azerbaijan also agreed to annually transit up to 2 million tons of freight through the corridor.

In November, an agreement was reached to send a container train from Iran’s Astara to Vorsino station near Moscow once the construction of the railway corridor is completed.

However, the significance of the short cross-border railway line is not limited by forecasted mutual growth of trade between Iran and Azerbaijan. It is a part of a greater 7200-km trade route from India to Finland (port Helsinki).

After launching the Astara-Astara cross-border line the construction of the 165 km long Astara-Rasht segment on the territory of Iran will remain the only missing link of the whole North-South project. Azerbaijan has allocated a $500-million loan to Iran for purchasing plots of land and construction activities, which are planned to be completed by 2020.

When goods from India travel to Europe by traditional sea route via Suez and Mediterranean and up to the North Sea in 45 days, the North-South route via Iran will take twice less time.

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