Rasht–Astara Railway Project

railway

Cities

Rasht

Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Astara

Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Distance

165km

new

165km

rehabilitated

– km

existing

– km

Cost

$1.6b

$1,600,000,000

Phases

planned, 2028

Objective

Bridge the missing rail link in the Western INSTC, facilitating faster rail transport from Russia to the Indian Ocean via Iran.

Description

The Rasht–Astara railway project is a critical 165-km missing link in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), designed to connect Russia, Iran, and Azerbaijan

History

The Soviet Union had extended its own railway network to Astara, Azerbaijan, in 1941, reaching the Iranian border. But within Iran, the crucial stretch from Astara to Qazvin remained incomplete.