The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) sees another critical rail puzzle piece taking its place. The Qazvin-Rasht rail link will be inaugurated on Thursday, 20 June in the presence of Iranian, Russian and Azerbaijani delegates. This short (37 kilometres) but critical piece of infrastructure will provide seamless railway connections between Caspian Sea ports and the ports in the Persian Gulf, boosting rail transport along the INSTC.

Just a year ago, Iran inaugurated the rail link between Rasht and Bandar Anzali, one of Iran’s most important port infrastructure on the Caspian Sea shores. Despite this railway section being in place for over a year, it lacked a connection to Iran’s main railway grid. With the Qazvin-Rasht line, this connection is finally in place, and the INSTC is officially shaping up.

What remains now is a railway connection from Rasht to Astara on the Iran-Azerbaijan border, so a continuous railway link spanning Russia, Azerbaijan, and Iran will provide access to the Indian market. According to the latest reports, the Rasht-Astara railway is expected to be finalised in 2028, despite being initially expected to enter operations in 2024.

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