TEHRAN, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Thursday inaugurated a major railway in the northern province of Gilan, which serves as part of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a transport route linking South Asia to North Europe.
The inauguration ceremony of the railway, which connects the provincial capital Rasht to the Caspian port city of Bandar-e Anzali, was attended by Iran's Interim President Mohammad Mokhber and Roads and Urban Development Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash, among others, semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
According to Tasnim, the passenger and cargo transfer capacities of the 37 km-long railway, whose construction started in 2006, are expected to finally reach 600,000 and 7 million tons, respectively.
The project helps prepare the ground for the connection of Iran's southern ports and the northern ones, as well as facilitates cargo transit for regional countries through Iran, said the report.
The report hailed the railway as an important step towards the full implementation of the INSTC and expansion of cooperation between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member states, adding the railway will also boost the development of relations between the EAEU member states and Arab countries in West Asia.
