Russia and Iran sign documents for Rasht-Astara railway project

Russia and Iran signed documents for the Rasht-Astara railway project in Tehran, covering access to land along the route for engineering surveys.

The agreement was signed by Russia’s Caspian Services and Iran’s CDTIC, according to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Nikitin.

The planned railway section is 162 kilometres long and is meant to connect the two countries’ rail networks.

Russian specialists have built a geodetic network and carried out aerial surveys, while other surveys are also under way.

The line is a key part of the North-South Transport Corridor, a route intended to carry freight toward the Persian Gulf and South Asia.

The corridor could provide a continuous rail link between Russia and Iran and onward to those regions.

The new documents allow engineering work to continue, but the sources do not give a construction start date or completion date.