Azerbaijan to build 4 transshipment terminals in Iran

Saeed Mohammadzadeh, president of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways, and Javid Gurbanov, head of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, during their meeting in Tehran have signed an agreement within the framework of the "Construction and operation of [Iranian] Astara loading and unloading terminal” project, Azerbaijan Railways CJSC said in a message June 14.

The agreement provides for the construction of a 1.4-km long railway line and four terminals with high transshipment capacities on the Iranian territory with the support of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC.

In accordance with the document, Azerbaijan Railways CJSC will rent the above-mentioned railway line for a period of 15 years, and terminals - for 25 years.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Javid Gurbanov and Saeed Mohammadzadeh noted that this project will serve to strengthen the two countries’ ties, as well as transit and economic potential in the railway sector and will also give impetus to attracting freight traffic in this direction.

At the meeting, the sides discussed the current state of the International North-South Transport Corridor Project.

They noted the acceleration of work after the laying of an 82.5-meter railway bridge across the Astara River on the Azerbaijani-Iranian border April 20, 2016. In shortest time, a single-track railway was built from Astara station (Azerbaijan) to the Iranian border and the bridge itself, along which a test train was launched across the Azerbaijani-Iranian border.

It was also reported that currently, construction of a railway station and an unloading terminal on the territory of 35 hectares in Iran’s Astara continues.