Rasht-Astara Railway, Critical Link of International Transport Corridor, Moves Closer to Reality

In the spirit of peace and economic development, Iran is now launching a full-court press to get Russian railroad builders and engineers to participate in building the 110 mile (175 km) Rasht-Astara Railway, extending inside Iran, from the cities of Rasht northward to Astara, curling along the Caspian Sea. This is only partially built, and is a key rail corridor that is crucial to the advancement of the ambitious 7,200 km (4,465 mile) International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). Astara, Iran abuts the Azerbaijani city of the same name, Astara, and from there, the railway would pass through Azerbaijan into Russia, and thence far northward into Russia’s North Sea, before coursing down to Spain and Portugal. It is a railroad-sea corridor that would link more than 20 countries.