Russia, Iran, and Azerbaijan  agreed to enhance attractiveness of   North-South international transport corridor 

ArmInfo.  Russia, Iran, and Azerbaijan have agreed to enhance the commercial  attractiveness of the  North-South international transport corridor,  as  reported by the press service of Russian Railways.

"Russian Railways, Iranian Railways, and Azerbaijan Railways have  signed a memorandum to strengthen the competitive position of the   North-South international transport corridor. The document was signed  by the heads of the railway companies, Oleg Belozerov, Jabbarali  Zakeri, and Rovshan Rustamov," the statement reads.

The purpose of the memorandum is to achieve stable prices for freight  transportation along the route. The parties have agreed to establish  end-to-end rates by the end of the year, with subsequent  comprehensive assessments every quarter. The signing ceremony took  place in Baku during the 83rd meeting of the Commonwealth Council for  Railway Transport.

Oleg Belozerov, head of the Commonwealth Council for Railway  Transport and  Russian Railways, speaking at the Baku meeting, noted  that container traffic along the North-South corridor has increased  along both the western and eastern routes.

According to him, 6,600 TEUs were transported along the western route  from Russia via Astara in the first 10 months (an increase of 58.3%  compared to 2024). Shipments from Kazakhstan, China, and other  countries also increased, while 2,300 TEUs were transported along the  eastern route (an increase of more than twofold). The head of the  Council emphasized that, thanks to the hard work of railway workers  in Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Iran, the  average transit time from Moscow to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas  has been reduced from 27 days to 16 days over the past two years.

Belozerov also emphasized the importance of Azerbaijani President  Ilham Aliyev's decision to lift restrictions on freight transit to  Armenia. "For the first time in 30 years, freight from Russia and  Kazakhstan was carried along this route. I thank all the railways  involved in this shipment, and I hope for the continued development  of this route," Oleg Belozerov said.

The head of the Council also reported an increase in international  passenger traffic on the CIS railway network. In the first nine  months of 2025, 8.4 million passengers were carried (an increase of  13.6%).