Tehran, August 24 (MRUD NEWS)—Iran and Russia are accelerating their joint transport projects following the visit of the President of Iran and the Prime Minister of Russia. The projects include infrastructural, fleet, and transit cooperation.

Few days after the visit of an expert delegation from Russian Railway to Iran to discuss the details of construction of Rasht-Astara Railroad project with the deputy minister and the CEO of Iran's Construction and Development of Transportation Infrastructures Company (CDTIC), today Iran deputy minister, Shahriyar Afandizadeh, met with Dmitry Stanislavovich Zverev, the State Secretary and deputy minister of transport of the Russian Federation, and his delegation including Igor Yevgenyevich Levitin, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation, and Russian Ambassador to Iran, Levan Dzhagaryan.

In the meeting, the two sides followed up previous agreements in four main agendas including the Rasht-Astara Railroad project, electrification of Garmsar-Incheh Borun Railroad, trilateral agreement with Azerbaijan, and facilitation of transit.

The Rasht-Astara Railroad project is very strategic for Iran and regional countries as it is the missing route along the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) connecting northern Europe to the Indian Subcontinent.

Similarly, the electrification of 460-km Garmsar-Incheh Borun Railroad is supposedly to be implemented by loan on the part of Russia and would expedites transport in this section.

Moreover, a trilateral agreement between Iran, Russia, and Azerbaijan is expected to be reached in September in Baku.
 

All the above-mentioned projects will boost bilateral freight transit up to 10 million tons, decrease time and costs of transit, and complete transit along the strategic International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).

Iran and Russia transport roadmap includes multimodal transport and multilateral cooperation in the region.