Qazvin-Rasht-Astara railway to start functioning in early 2015
By Sara Rajabova
The Qazvin-Rasht-Astara railway, which is an integral part of the "North-South" international transport corridor, will be commissioned in early 2015.
Executive engineer of the railway construction project Farhad Kafi told this to Azerbaijani reporters, who visited the Iranian province of Gilan.
He said the total length of the Qazvin-Rasht-Astara railway is 205 kilometers, while the Anzali-Astara section is 164 kilometers.
Kafi said six Iranian companies are building the railway, adding each of them is responsible for their own section.
He further noted that the Iranian specialists are building a bridge, carrying out the design and all kinds of construction work.
Kafi said 80 percent of the Qazvin-Rasht-Astara construction operations have been fulfilled and its commissioning is scheduled for early 2015.
He also added that the construction of the Anzali-Astara railways section has already began.
Earlier, it was reported that the construction of the Qazvin-Rasht-Astara railway will be completed in March 2014. Around 22 tunnels and 15 bridges will be built throughout the railway. Around 15 tunnels have already been constructed.
The Qazvin-Rasht-Astara railway is part of the North-South Transport Corridor. Its aim is to integrate the main transportation lines of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia. Investment worth $400 million is designated for the construction operations.
The volume of cargo transportation through the corridor will amount to 6 million metric tons in the initial stage and will reach 15-20 million metric tons in the future.
The creation of a direct railway communication along the western coast of the Caspian Sea can contribute to the growth of the transportation market in the region, and become a good motivation for the expansion of foreign economic relations between regional states and European countries.
Iran and Azerbaijan have had diplomatic relations since 1918. Iran recognized Azerbaijan's independence in 1991, and diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992.