Iran has completed the construction of the railway section of the North–South corridor

04.06.2024

Iran has completed the construction of a section of the railway that will connect the Caspian Sea (port of Enzeli) with the Persian Gulf (port of Bandar Abbas). This should change the traditional trade routes. Thanks to the new highway, cargo will travel across the Indian Ocean to Iran, then by Iranian railway, then by ships along the Caspian Sea and further by trains, river or road transport from Astrakhan to St. Petersburg. The new trade route consists of river and rail routes that connect Iran and Russia via the Volga, the Sea of Azov and the Caspian Sea, and will allow the countries to trade independently from Western states, as well as give Moscow a shorter access to India. The new route will allow Russia and Iran to surpass the existing routes in time. The new corridor will bypass Europe, through the Mediterranean Sea and the Suez Canal, and will be shorter by "thousands of kilometers". Thanks to the unique North–South transport artery, cargo delivery from St. Petersburg to Mumbai in India will take about ten days against 30-45 days on existing routes. After the launch of the international transport corridor, it will be used to transport food and agricultural products to consumers in Iran, the countries of the Persian Gulf and the African continent.