Russia and Iran have signed a package of documents on the construction of the Rasht–Astara railway, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Nikitin told reporters, Report informs, citing Russian media.
Nikitin said Russia's Caspian Services and Iran's CDTIC signed a protocol in Tehran granting access to land along the entire route for preliminary engineering surveys. They also signed a supplementary agreement to the contract.
The land plots have already been handed over, allowing the engineering surveys to continue and the timeframe for the necessary work to be extended, Nikitin said.
Russian specialists established a geodetic control network and carried out aerial photography this year. Hydrometeorological and topographic surveys are underway.
The Rasht–Astara railway is a key link in the International North–South Transport Corridor. It will provide a continuous freight route to the Persian Gulf and onward to South Asia.