Russia, Iran to begin implementing Rasht-Astara railway line project on April 1

The practical implementation of the Rasht-Astara railway line project within the framework of the North-South international transport corridor will begin on April 1, 2026, TASS reported citing Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilyov.

The parties managed to resolve all contentious issues that had been holding up the project’s launch, according to the minister. "The North-South corridor is not only an energy corridor, but also a transport one. The construction of the Rasht-Astara railway line is connected to it. We have addressed virtually all previously outstanding issues, including land registration and obtaining benefits," he said on the sidelines of the meeting of the intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. "We said today that on April 1, during a transport forum in Russia, there will be a final agreement on the start of this project," Tsivilyov said.

The minister rated high the work of specialists involved in preparation for construction. "I want to thank all our teams working on the project. It is very complex, but we managed to resolve all the implementation issues. We can confidently say that as of April 1, we will begin the implementation phase of this large-scale infrastructure project," he said.

In 2023, Russia and Iran signed an agreement within the framework of the North-South project to jointly build a 160-kilometer section of the Rasht-Astara road between Iran and Azerbaijan, which will provide through access to the ports of the Persian Gulf. The total cost of the project is 1.6 bln euros. Moscow and Tehran will jointly finance the design, construction, and supply of goods and services.