Sputnik News- Russian and Iranian joint railroad projects benefit virtually all of Europe and Asia, according to the chief of the Iran Railways� international affairs department.




Abbas Nazari, head of�the Islamic Republic of�Iran Railways� foreign affairs department, told Sputnik Persian that the cooperation between�Russia and Iran on�an intercontinental railway project is "profitable not just for�both countries, but�also for�Asian and European states."
"Russia is a prominent railway power; it has an extensive network of�railways which accounts for�85 percent of�all freight transported by�the country. An important element of�our cooperation is the North-South transport corridor which, as�you know, begins in�Europe and runs to�India via�Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran. We seek to�ensure that Iranian railways become the primary transit element of�the North-South Transport Corridor," he said, adding that the length of�the Iranian segment of�the corridor is about�2,000 kilometers.


Nazari pointed out�that Russia and Iran need each other to�move their freight between�Europe and Asia, and that Tehran enjoys an unprecedented level of�technological cooperation with�Moscow.

He also said that Iran also cooperates with�Russia on�several other important railway-related ventures, like�the joint manufacturing of�railroad carriages and the upcoming electrification of�the 600-kilometer segment o of�the Garmsar � Inche Burun railway, as�well as�on other large-scale infrastructure projects.
"We�re working together with�Russia on�developing the biggest docking area in�Iran � the Shahid Rajaee port. The ongoing negotiations cover all aspects of�this undertaking: the port itself, the access railways and the special economic zone. Once all these matters are settled, the developing process will begin in�earnest," Nazari explained.


The International North�South Transport Corridor is a 7,200-kilometer interconnecting network of�railways, roads and shipping lanes designed to�facilitate the flow of�freight between�India, Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, as�well as�European and Central Asian states.