- Wednesday, March 12, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
RUSSIA’S first India-bound cargo reached the Iranian territory on Tuesday (12) via the North-South transit railway, the West Asian nation’s IRNA news agency said, citing its roads and urban development minister Rostam Ghasemi.
As per the report, the train carrying 39 freight containers entered Iran through the Sarkhas railway station on the border with northern neighbour Turkmenistan. Ghasemi said the train covered around 3,800 kilometres.
The cargo was set to be delivered to the Persian Gulf port of Shahid Rajaei in southern Iran from where it will be shipped to India by sea.
“Thanks to good agreements and contracts, signed with countries like Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, and the accessibility of this route for deliveries of Russian goods to countries like India, the train will keep moving along this route,” Ghasemi was quoted as saying.
In 2000, Iran, India and Russia signed an intergovernmental agreement on the creation of a multi-mode North-South transport corridor. Later, the number of participants increased to 14.
The project aims to encourage transit of cargo flows from India, Iran and countries in the Persian Gulf countries through the Russian territory to Europe. The project currently combines several various transport systems of individual states.
India has invested about $2.1 billion in the project, part of which was invested in the construction of transport infrastructure in Iran, Russia’s state-run TASS news agency said.
