Astara-Astara Rail Project to Complete in 3 Months

A 10-kilometer railroad connecting Iran’s northwestern city of Astara to an Azeri city with the same name will become operational in three months, according to Abbas Nazari, an official with the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways. The so-called Astara-Astara railroad, which is part of a bigger project to connect Iran and Azerbaijan’s rail system, runs 8 kilometers in Azerbaijan up to the border from where it extends 2 km to Iran’s port city of Astara. The project also includes a bridge on the river of Astarachay, which stretches along the border. “Around 8.5 kilometers of the 10-km railroad, including the Astarachay Bridge, has been completed,” the official was quoted as saying by IRNA. He said the incomplete part lies in the Iranian section of the project, which has made 40% progress in infrastructure construction. Tehran and Baku have earlier agreed to connect their railroads as part of the North-South Transportation Corridor, which is meant to connect Northern Europe with Southeast Asia.