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75-476: The International North–South Transport Corridor ( INSTC ) is a 7,200-km (4500 mile) long multi-mode network of ship , rail , and road route for moving freight between India , Iran , Azerbaijan , Russia , Central Asia and Europe . The route primarily involves moving freight from India , Iran , Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation via ship, rail and road. The objective of the corridor

150-739: A "naval counterweight" to China's presence in Gwadar, as India sees the Gwadar Port as a manifestation of a strong China–Pakistan alliance that seeks to choke Indian investments in the Indian Ocean region. Scholar Christophe Jaffrelot states that Gwadar gives the Chinese a key listening post to monitor US and Indian naval activity in the Persian Gulf as well as a dual-use civil-military base for Chinese ships and submarines. India perceive

225-488: A MoU was also signed for financing of the planned Chabahar–Zahedan railway section of Chabahar–Zahedan-Hajigak railway, as part of North–South Transport Corridor , by Indian Railways 's public sector unit Ircon International . India had offered to supply approximately $ 400 million worth of steel towards the construction of this railway, as well as offered to finance construction of the Chabahar to Zahedan rail line at

300-664: A cost of $ 1.6 billion. India began shipping rail tracks worth US$ 150 million in July 2016, and in December 2016 Iran also allocated US$ 125 million toward this rail route. However, on 14 July 2020, Iran announced that it would be proceeding with constructing the Chabahar-Zahedan railway independently, citing delays in the Indian funding as the reason for dropping the partnership. The Iranian government has projected completion of

375-439: A direct threat and its response has been to help build the Chabahar port. Iran has stated that Chabahar is not a rival to Pakistan's Gwadar and invited Pakistan to join in its development. Pakistani analysts have endorsed the view, stating that Gwadar has an advantage by being a deep sea port and the expansion of Chabahar would in fact expand trade through Gwadar. Larger vessels that cannot dock at Chabahar could dock at Gwadar and

450-487: A long-standing agreement, signed in 2002, to develop Chabahar into full deep sea port. Bandar Abbas port handles 85% of Iran's seaborne trade and is highly congested. Whereas, Chabahar has high capacity with plans to expand it from its current capacity of 2.5 million to 12.5 million tons annually. Unlike Bandar Abbas, Chabahar has the ability to handle cargo ships bigger than 100,000 tons. Industry Analysts have highlighted there are long term plans to integrate Chabahar with

525-406: A major security threat in the region. Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan Province , in which Chabahar port is located, was also the stage for insurgent activity by the insurgent group Jundallah , which claims to be fighting for the rights of Sunni Muslims, and the local ethnic Baloch . In 2010, Jundallah fighters dispatched a suicide bomber to a Shi'ite mosque in Chabahar, killing 38 people. In

600-451: A plan to construct a 900-km Chabahar-Zahedan-Hajigak railway line that would connect Chabahar to the mineral-rich Hajigak region of Afghanistan. In 2011, seven Indian companies acquired rights to mine central Afghanistan's Hajigak region, which contain Asia's largest deposit of iron ore. The Government of India had pledged to spend $ 2bn in developing supporting infrastructure. In May 2016,

675-756: A right of extension for another 20 years. The Armenia-Iran railway is called the Southern Armenia Railway project, which forms the key missing link in the International North-South Transport Corridor between the Black Sea and the Persian Gulf . Prior to the feasibility study being completed, the Southern Armenia Railway was anticipated to be a 316 km (196 mile) railway linking Gavar , 50 km (30 miles) east of Yerevan near Lake Sevan, with

750-742: A road from Delaram in Afghanistan to Zaranj at the Iran-Afghanistan border. Iran has also built a roadway between Milak , close to Zaranj, and Chabahar passing through Zahedan and Iranshahr . Through Milak, Zaranj and Deleram, connectivity has been established to the Afghan `garland road', which connects the major Afghan cities Herat , Kandahar , Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif . In March 2012, ships from India docked at Chabahar carrying 100,000 tonnes of wheat under humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. The Afghan businesses have begun to shift from

825-596: Is "30 percent cheaper and 40 percent shorter than the traditional route via the Suez Canal." Ship transport Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.133 via cp1102 cp1102, Varnish XID 542601453 Upstream caches: cp1102 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 05:39:48 GMT Port of Chabahar Development of

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900-465: Is a completely new chapter". — Shaida Abdali, Afghan ambassador to India, April 2016 . In May 2016, India signed a series of twelve memoranda of understanding which centered upon the Port of Chabahar. The trilateral transit agreement signed by India, Iran and Afghanistan allows Indian goods to reach Afghanistan through Iran. It links ports in the western coast of India to the Chabahar port and covers

975-616: Is a rail route connecting Chabahar with the India-promoted $ 11-billion Hajigak iron and steel mining project in central Afghanistan, as seven Indian companies in 2011 acquired rights to mine central Afghanistan's Hajigak region, which contain Asia's largest deposit of iron ore. The Government of India has pledged to Afghanistan to spend $ 2bn in developing supporting infrastructure including Chabahar to Hajigaj railway. All this will bring cargo to Bandar Abbas port and Chabahar port, and free Kabul from its dependence on Pakistan to reach

1050-511: Is already linked with Turkmenistan via rail and road routes. India and Afghanistan plan to extend rail route from Herat to Mazar-i-Sharif . Mazar-i-Sharif is already linked with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan via rail as well as via road routes with other central Asian nations. India's minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari also stated that Indian companies could potentially invest over ₹ 1 lakh crore (US$ 12 billion) in

1125-672: Is already running training in Nagpur for the Afghan customs officials to be posted at Iran-Afghan border customs post built by India on the road built by India and Afghan ambassador to India announced that Indian shipments to Afghanistan via Chabahar will commence soon. Chabahar Port benefits from the protection of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran military bases located in Konarak, Iran , across Chabahar Bay to

1200-597: Is being financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). A memorandum of understanding was signed between ADB and the Turkmenistan government in February 2010, for a $ 350m loan as a special fund for technical assistance. The project loan was for the installation of signalling and communication equipment on the ongoing railway line, procurement of equipment and maintenance facilities, consulting, and for

1275-451: Is heavily involved in the project currently building new train lines and roads to complete missing links in the NSTC. Turkmenistan currently is not a formal member but is likely to have a road connectivity to the corridor. Prime Minister Modi during a state visit to Turkmenistan formally invited it to become a member state on the project, "I also proposed that Turkmenistan becomes a member of

1350-521: Is strategically important railway crossroad of the Trans-Caspian Railway ( Caspian Sea , Turkmenistan , Uzbekistan and eastern Kazakhstan ) and North-South Transnational Railway. The city has a large locomotive repair depot and a modern passenger and freight railway station. In December 2014 the railway opened. Armenia–Iran Railway Concession, also called as Southern Armenia Railway or North-South Railway Corridor, as of April 2017,

1425-466: Is the fastest way to reach India . Iranrud (Iran's river) is a plan to build a canal from Caspian sea to Indian Ocean, with two routes, a river through Dasht-e Lut and another canal to Lake Urmia and after that to Persian Gulf . The idea of linking the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea by a canal was developed already in the late 19th century. Dry runs of two routes were conducted in 2014,

1500-601: Is to increase trade connectivity between major cities such as Mumbai , Moscow , Tehran , Baku , Bandar Abbas , Astrakhan , Bandar Anzali , etc. Dry runs of two routes were conducted in 2014, the first was Mumbai to Baku via Bandar Abbas and the second was Mumbai to Astrakhan via Bandar Abbas, Tehran and Bandar Anzali. The objective of the study was to identify and address key bottlenecks . The results showed transport costs were reduced by "$ 2,500 per 15 tons of cargo". Other routes under consideration include via Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan . This will also synchronize with

1575-538: The American presence in Afghanistan , India, Iran and Afghanistan got together in January 2003, agreeing on a joint development of transportation links to Afghanistan. India agreed to expand the Chabahar port and to lay a railway track between Chabahar and Zaranj . Iran has completed 70 percent of the first phase of the Chabahar project at a cost of $ 340 million. India has spent $ 134 million during 2005–2009 to construct

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1650-533: The Ashgabat agreement , a Multimodal transport agreement signed by India (2018), Oman (2011), Iran (2011), Turkmenistan (2011), Uzbekistan , (2011) Kazakhstan (2015) (figure in the bracket indicates the year of joining the agreement) , for creating an international transport and transit corridor facilitating transportation of goods between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf. This route will be operationalised by mid-January 2018. The primary objective of

1725-560: The Bandar Abbas port, which currently handles 85% of Iran's seaborne trade, as a hub for trade with Russia and Europe. The highly congested Bandar Abbas port is not a deep water port and cannot handle the 250,000-ton oceangoing cargo ships . At present, such ships dock in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the cargo is transferred to smaller, 100,000-ton ships for onward shipment to Iran. This makes Iran dependent on

1800-739: The Caspian Sea . The port has been integrated with the NSTC to improve its maritime connectivity across the Caspian Sea. Iran has invested 22 million dollars in the port and plan to increase investment by 10% to expand the port. The Current capacity is 600,000 tons but there is plans to increase this to 3 million tons. Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) are the main producers of grains which will be exported to Africa through Iran Bandar Abbas port. The port will allow Russian goods to reach inland provinces of Iran faster and cheaper. Product from Russia , Azerbaijan , Kazakhstan , Turkmenistan can be sent to India through Iran's Bandar Abbas port which

1875-588: The Chabahar Special Economic zone . He however stated that potential investments would depend on whether Iran would be willing to supply Indian projects with natural gas at tariffs substantially lower than those offered by Iran. In March 2017, India has invited expression of interest from private parties to manage the port for 10 years, Adani Group and Ruia family's Essar Group are interested, and India announced that port equipment such as crane etc. will be procured soon. In March 2017, India

1950-758: The Chabahar-Hajigaj railway , with potential for several times more trade via connectivity to 7,200-km-long multi-mode North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) connecting to Europe and Turkey, R297 Amur highway and Trans-Siberian Highway across Russia, and planned Herat to Mazar-i-Sharif railway providing access to Turkmenistan , Uzbekistan , Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan . Chabahar Port also provides direct access to India's Farkhor Air Base in Tajikistan. Chabahar route will result in 60% reduction in shipment costs and 50% reduction in shipment time from India to Central Asia . India had initially proposed

2025-623: The Indian Ocean . Being close to Afghanistan and the Central Asian countries of Turkmenistan , Uzbekistan and others, it has been termed the "Golden Gate" to these landlocked countries. Chabahar is 700 km (430 mi) away from Zahedan , the capital of the Sistan and Baluchistan province, 950 km (590 mi) away from Milak , the closest city to the Afghan border, and 1,827 km (1,135 mi) away from Sarakhs on

2100-569: The 2020s, its successor, Jaish ul-Adl , continues terror attacks in the Baloch insurgency . American policy analyst Rorry Daniels has characterized both the Indian investment in Chabahar and the Chinese investment in Gwadar as generating perceptions of "strategic encirclement". According to her, China fears encirclement by the US, India by China, and Pakistan by India. All of these encirclements are seen by

2175-443: The Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan , Turkmenistan , and Uzbekistan , which is made possible by the Chabahar port. But, in the long run, the pipeline-to-road-to-rail-to-sea-to-road shipment costs through Chabahar should be circumvented by direct transit through Pakistan. So far, Pakistan has been reluctant to provide such access. The US State Department does not currently see military cooperation between Iran and India as part of

2250-510: The Chabahar project, although it has cautioned India to remain within the legal parameters with respect to collaboration with Iran. The US also sees the Indian presence in greater Central Asia beneficial for spreading the soft power of democratic and friendly regimes. India hopes to see the Western countries use the Chabahar route to link to Afghanistan and reduce their dependence on Pakistan. Padukone agrees that India has need for establishing

2325-680: The International North South Transport Corridor." The NSTC route through Azerbaijan allows India–Iran–Azerbaijan–Russia–Kazakhstan transport connectivity. Iran started construction work to complete the missing link of the Qazvin-Rasht-Astara railway (205 km; 127 miles) and road including part of the Rasht-Astara section (164 km; 102 miles). It involves construction of 369 km (230 miles) of bridges and railway line to link

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2400-522: The Iranian border near Meghri . On 24 January 2013, during an announcement and press conference, the previously signed concession agreement was announced and a separate tripartite memorandum of understanding was signed in Yerevan by Rasia FZE, Russian Railways ( RZD ) subsidiary South Caucasus Railway, and the government of Armenia concerning technical cooperation, investment, and the future operation of

2475-562: The Karachi port to Chabahar port for transit. In 2016, India signed a deal with Iran entailing $ 8 billion investment in Chabahar port and industries in Chabar Special Economic Zone, including an aluminium smelter and a urea making facility, at Chabahar port is being developed was a transit route to Afghanistan and central Asia. India has already built a 240-km road connecting Afghanistan with Iran. Also in planning

2550-550: The May 2016 agreements, Chabahar's capacity will be increased to 8 million tons from the current 2.5 million ton capacity. The investment is supplemented with a $ 150 million credit line to Iran through the Exim Bank of India . India has also offered to supply $ 400 million worth of steel towards the construction of a rail link between Chahbahar and Zahedan . Indian commitments to Iranian infrastructure could total $ 635 million as per

2625-978: The Ministry of Jahad-e Sazandegi (or jihad for construction) took them over. The Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988) caused Chabahar to gain in logistical and strategic importance. War brought insecurity to the Strait of Hormuz and ships were unable to enter the Persian Gulf. Accordingly, Chabahar became a major port during the war. The Chabahar port actually contains two separate ports called Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti . Between 1982 and 1983, Iran constructed four 45 meters (150 feet) berths at Shahid Kalantari and four 150 meters (492 feet) berths at Shahid Beheshti. Two larger berths, 235 meters (771 feet) and 265 meters (869 feet) meters long, were constructed in 1997 and 2004 respectively. In August 2017, Indian Union Minister of Ports, Nitin Gadkari, informed at an event in Iran that

2700-496: The NSTC project is to reduce costs in terms of time and money over the traditional route currently being used. Analysts predict by having improved transport connectivity between Russia , Central Asia , Iran and India their respective bilateral trade volumes will increase. A study conducted by the ' Federation of Freight Forwarders’ Associations in India (FFFAI) www.fffai.org found the route is, "30% cheaper and 40% shorter than

2775-681: The NSTC, "India is also eyeing trade with Europe via Chabahar port and the International North-South Transport Corridor". The Kazakhstan–Turkmenistan–Iran railway link, completed and operationalized in 2014, also known as North–South Transnational Corridor, is a 677 km (421 mi) long railway line connecting Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan with Iran and the Persian Gulf . It links Uzen in Kazakhstan with Bereket - Etrek in Turkmenistan and ends at Gorgan in Iran's Golestan province. In Iran,

2850-587: The Portuguese in the 17th century entered this region. Modern Chabahar dates back to around 1970, when it was declared a municipality, and large port projects were started by order of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , the Shah of Iran. The Shah planned to construct a $ 600 million naval base at Chabahar, mostly employing American companies as contractors. The American naval officials held talks with their Iranian counterparts on securing an "option" to operate out of Chabahar in

2925-495: The Southern Armenia Railway. Rasia FZE announced its appointment of China Communications Construction Company as the "lead member of the development consortium" for the project and the commencement of the feasibility study. Following a meeting on 3 September 2013 with Serzh Sargsyan , the President of Armenia , President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation stated that Russian Railways can invest about RUB 15 billion in

3000-798: The Taliban regime with more policy options and reduce its dependence on Pakistan. During the 1990s Iran and India, along with Russia, collaborated in backing the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan against the Pakistan-backed Taliban . At this time, Iran invited India to develop the Chabahar port to obtain ready access to Afghanistan. In 1997, a trilateral agreement was signed with Turkmenistan to expand trade into Central Asia and, in 2000, another agreement with Russia to provide seamless transport between India and Europe via an International North-South Transport Corridor . After

3075-598: The Turkmen border. The marine distance to Dubai is 353 nautical miles (654 kilometres; 406 miles), to Karachi in Pakistan is 456 nmi (845 km; 525 mi), and to Mumbai in India is 843 nmi (1,560 km; 970 mi) . Pakistan's deep sea port at Gwadar is also on the Makran coast, at a distance of a mere 76 nautical miles. Gwadar also claims to provide access to Central Asia, and comparisons between

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3150-573: The UAE for shipments and represents a loss of revenue. Unlike Bandar Abbas, Chabahar has the ability to handle standard cargo ships. A former port named Tis in Chabahar's neighborhood dates back to the Sasanian times, and was known to Ptolemy as "Tesa". Alberuni wrote that the sea coast of India commences with Tis. The Portuguese forces under Afonso de Albuquerque gained control of Chabahar and Tis, staying there until 1621. The British, and later

3225-618: The West. Chronic instability in Afghanistan may limit the usefulness of Chabahar as a conduit to Afghanistan and Central Asia. Road networks between Chabahar and Afghanistan rely upon connections to the Afghan Ring Road . In August 2016, insurgent activity by Afghanistan's Taliban insurgent group forced closure of the Ring Road between Kandahar and Helmand Province . After the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, IS-KP became

3300-466: The Western pressure to apply sanctions . Iran is also believed to have a shown a preference for Iranian contractors instead of Indians. The initiative was restarted in August 2012 in a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of a Non-Aligned Summit. "This is a very, very crucial agreement for Afghanistan. The opening of this corridor will help us to fully reach our potential, give us a new trade route. This

3375-493: The civil work at Chabahar port developed by India is complete, and the Indian government is ordering INR 400 crores (US$ 63 million) worth of mechanised equipment and cranes, and the port will be operational in 2018 to export Indian wheat to Afghanistan. after meeting with Iranian President Hasan Rouhani, he said "now, we are building a railway line in Iran. From Chabhar, we can go to Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Russia." In August 2017, India Global Ports Limited (IGPL) had applied for

3450-571: The construction of the Chabahar-Zahedan rail link independently, citing delays in the proposed funding from India. Iran issued a statement, clarifying that while the funding of the rail link by IRCON had come up in negotiations, it had not been agreed upon between India and Iran. In late February 2024, the Taliban -led government of Afghanistan announced an investment of $ 35 million in the Chabahar port in southern Iran. According to The Diplomat , cooperation between Afghanistan and Iran can provide

3525-454: The conventional deep sea Suez Canal route is another major advantage of this route, taking into account geostrategic and economic diplomacy for all the involved countries, particularly Iran and Russia, both of which are subject to U.S. sanctions, in addition to the fact that it is more cost-effective and saves a significant amount of travel time. According to a survey by ‘Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations in India (FFFAI) found INSTC

3600-524: The current traditional route". Analysts predict the corridor is likely to increase trade connectivity between major cities such as Mumbai , Moscow , Tehran , Baku , Bandar Abbas , Astrakhan , Bandar Anzali etc. Russia, Iran and India signed the agreement for the NSTC project on 16 May 2002. All three countries are founding member states on the project. Other important member states include Azerbaijan , Armenia , Kazakhstan and Belarus with other states having varying levels of involvement. Azerbaijan

3675-531: The development of the Armenian Railway. In mid-September 2013, Rasia FZE announced in a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan the achievement of a key milestone for the Southern Armenia Railway, including the release of a highly favorable feasibility study and the recommended railway design route from China Communications Construction Company. Having reached this key milestone, Rasia FZE moved to secure essential regional cooperation for

3750-452: The event of an emergency. However, in 1977, the Shah got strapped for cash, caught in a tug of war between the OPEC and western oil companies over oil prices, and the construction of Chabahar base was postponed. Soon afterwards, the Shah was overthrown in the 1979 Iranian revolution . After the Iranian revolution, the foreign companies left the projects and Iranian public companies linked to

3825-466: The financing, construction and operation stages of the project. The feasibility study results indicated that the Southern Armenia Railway would cost approximately US $ 3.5 billion to construct, have a length of 305 kilometers (190 miles) from Gagarin to Agarak, and provide a base operating capacity of 25 million tons per annum. The railway will have 84 bridges spanning 19.6 kilometers (12¼ miles) and 60 tunnels of 102.3 kilometers (63½ miles), comprising 40% of

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3900-402: The first was Mumbai to Baku via Bandar Abbas and the second was Mumbai to Astrakhan via Bandar Abbas, Tehran and Bandar Anzali. The objective of the study was to identify and address key bottlenecks . The results showed transport costs were reduced by "$ 2,500 per 15 tons of cargo". Other routes under consideration include via Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan . A dry run of container movement via

3975-475: The green corridor was conducted during April 2017 to test and verify the smooth customs facilitation, connecting India with Russia and Europe via Iran. On 7 July 2022, Russian company RZD Logistics announced that it has successfully completed its first transport of goods to India via the INSTC. This statement was also confirmed by Iranian and Indian trade companies. The positioning of the INSTC as an alternative to

4050-480: The management and supervision of construction. The project also received a loan of $ 371.2m from the Islamic Development Bank in July 2010. In May 2013, a Bereket – Uzen section was completed. In February 2014, 256 km (159 mi) long section between Bereket and Etrek was constructed. Currently, railway stations along the new railway are being constructed. Bereket city ( Kazandjik )

4125-525: The multinational Chabahar port project from its sanctions against Iran due to its economic importance to Afghanistan. In February 2019, Afghanistan Launches New Export Route To India Through Chabahar Port. At the inauguration of the new export route, officials said 23 trucks carrying 57 tonnes of dried fruits, textiles, carpets and mineral products were dispatched from the southwestern Afghan city of Zaranj to Iran's Chabahar port. The consignment will be shipped to Mumbai. On 14 July 2020, Iran proceeded with

4200-459: The outer world, giving India access to Afghanistan and beyond to Turkmenistan , Uzbekistan , Tajikistan , Kyrgyzstan , Kazakhstan , Russia and Europe via 7,200-km-long multi-modal North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC). However, without further development of the Chabahar port, these road links would remain underutilized. Despite intentions, India's involvement in the infrastructure development within Iran has been minimal, possibly due to

4275-458: The permission to run the Chabahar port in the interim, while Iran has already completed the construction of jetty and IGPL will build two new terminals, one for the containers and another for the multi-purpose ships. In October 2017, IGPL had already started constructing the terminals after placing order for the construction equipment. On 29 October 2017, the first shipment through the port was sent from India en route to Afghanistan. To demonstrate

4350-479: The port has ten berths. In May 2016, India and Iran signed a bilateral agreement in which India would refurbish one of the berths at Shahid Beheshti port, and reconstruct a 600 meter long container handling facility at the port. The port is partly intended to provide an alternative for trade between India and Afghanistan as it is 800 kilometers closer to the border of Afghanistan than Pakistan's Karachi port . The port handled 2.1 million tons of cargo in 2015, which

4425-734: The port was first proposed in 1973 by the last Shah of Iran , though development was delayed by the 1979 Iranian Revolution . The first phase of the port was opened in 1983 during the Iran–Iraq War as Iran began shifting seaborne trade east towards the Pakistani border in order to decrease dependency on ports in the Persian Gulf which were vulnerable to attack by the Iraqi Air Force . India and Iran first agreed to plans to further develop Shahid Beheshti port in 2003, but did not do so on account of sanctions against Iran . As of 2016,

4500-505: The port's 8.5 million-ton total capacity was utilized in 2019. Sanctions also played a role in reducing India's involvement and investment in the US$ 1.6 billion Chabahar–Zahedan railway . The port of Chabahar is located on the Makran coast of Sistan and Baluchistan Province , next to the Gulf of Oman and at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz . It is the only Iranian port with direct access to

4575-485: The project remains only on paper and has no financier as the economic feasibility is doubtful, though Armenia continues to try to find sponsors and private investors to make the project economically more viable. On 28 July 2012, a concession agreement was awarded to Dubai-based Rasia FZE (a Rasia Group investment company) for the feasibility, design, financing, construction and operation of a new railway link between Armenia and Iran having an operating period of 30 years, with

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4650-745: The rail link by March 2022, utilising the National Development Fund of Iran to complete the project. Chabahar's connection to the country's railway plan is under study and consideration. A rail link between Chabahar and Zahedan, when completed, can connect Chabahar to the Kerman – Zahedan railway and further to the Trans-Iranian Railway . Mashhad in north east Iran to Herat in north west Afghanistan rail route has four sections, two each in Iran and Afghanistan. Within Iran, section-1 from Khaf to Sangan 16 km route

4725-767: The railway will be linked to national network making its way to the ports of the Persian Gulf. The project is estimated to cost $ 620m which is being jointly funded by the governments of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran. The project also aims to create a multimodal transport system to provide seamless connectivity in the region for passenger travel as well. The North-South Transnational Corridor will run up to 137 km (85 mi) in Kazakhstan, 470 km (292 mi) in Turkmenistan and 70 km (43 mi) in Iran. Work in Turkmenistan commenced in Bereket in December 2007 and in Kazakhstan in July 2009. A 311 km (193 mi) section between Bereket and Uzen in Turkmenistan

4800-468: The region are expected to improve substantially, fostering greater regional trade and economic growth with extraordinary direct benefits for the Armenian economy including an alleviation of the economic pressures caused by the blockade against Armenia by Turkey and Azerbaijan due to Armenia's and Azerbaijan's war over Karabakh . In March 2013 Iran inaugurated the port of Astara located south-west of

4875-569: The respective countries as "containment strategies", which they attempt to break out of. Indian news commenter Shishir Gupta described India's Chabahar Port deal as "a counter to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor ," as it has "broken through the strategic encirclement by China and Pakistan." Scholar Neil Padukone however disagrees that India has a goal of encircling Pakistan. India needs access to iron from Afghanistan's Hajigak mine and other natural resources from

4950-447: The road and rail links between Chabahar and the Afghan border. The bilateral agreement between India and Iran gives India the right to develop two berths of the Chabahar port as agreed in 2015 and allows them to be operated for 10 years by India Ports Global, a joint venture between Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust and Kandla Port Trust , in partnership with Iran's Aria Banader. India Ports Global has guaranteed handling of 30,000 TEUs by

5025-410: The southern sections to the northern ones. Once completed, 22 new tunnels and 15 bridges will have been added to the route. On 7 January 2017, it was announced that the remaining construction of Qazvin to Rasht rail route is 90% complete and will be completed within 2017, whilst construction on the first section of the remaining Rasht-Astara section of road would also start in 2017. India and Iran have

5100-627: The third year of operations, and aims to eventually handle 250,000 TEUs. The berths will be developed at a cost of $ 85 million over the course of 18 months. Under the agreement, India Ports Global will refurbish a 640 meters (2,100 feet) long container handling facility, and reconstruct a 600 meters (1,970 feet) long container handling facility at the port. India Ports Global will modernize ancillary infrastructure by installing four rail-mounted gantry cranes , sixteen rubber-tire gantry cranes, two reach stackers, two empty handlers, and six mobile harbor cranes . Upon completion of upgrade works agreed to in

5175-627: The total project length. As the key missing link in the International North–South Transport Corridor, the Southern Armenia Railway would create the shortest transportation route from the ports of the Black Sea to the ports of the Persian Gulf. The Southern Armenia Railway would establish a major commodities transit corridor between Europe and the Persian Gulf region, based on traffic volume forecasts of 18.3 million tons per annum. At completion of railway construction and commencement of operations, transport costs and times for

5250-761: The trilateral transit trade and route was implemented when the first shipment of wheat was sent from India to Afghanistan via Chabahar. The India – Iran – Afghanistan three-way memorandum of understanding (MoU) plans have committed at least $ 21bn to Chabahar–Hajigak corridor, including $ 85m for Chabahar port development by India, $ 150m line of credit by India to Iran, $ 8bn India-Iran MoU for Indian industrial investment in Chabahar Special Economic Zone, $ 11-billion Hajigak iron and steel mining project awarded to seven Indian companies in central Afghanistan, and India's $ 2bn commitment to Afghanistan for developing supporting infrastructure including

5325-463: The twelve memoranda of understanding signed in May 2016. As per the deal, India will also be developing various industries, including aluminum and urea production plants, in the Chabahar economic zone attached to the port. Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, Mehdi Honerdoost stated that Pakistan and China had both been invited to contribute to the project before India, but neither China nor Pakistan had expressed interest in joining. On 29 October 2017,

5400-428: The two ports are frequently made by analysts. Because 90 percent of Iran's population is concentrated in the western part of the country, the eastern part is relatively less developed. Iran is intending to change that with the development around Chabahar port, with a free trade zone and road and rail links between Chabahar and Central Asia. Its plan is to use Chabahar port as the gateway to Central Asia and to maintain

5475-561: The viability of the route, seven shipments of wheat as aid to Afghanistan were planned to be sent by India by the end of January 2018. On 3 December 2017, the first phase of the port construction was inaugurated by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. In January 2018, Iran and India signed an agreement worth $ 2 billion for cooperation in the rail sector. A part of the agreement pertains to a memorandum of understanding worth $ 600 million for Iran to purchase locomotives and freight cars from India. In November 2018, The United States has exempted

5550-524: Was completed in September 2016 and section-2 from Sangan to Iran-Afghanistan border at Shamtiq (Shematigh, Shmtygh, شمتیغ) 62 km was completed in October 2017. Within Afghanistan, section-3 from the Iran-Afghanistan border at Shamtiq–Jono (Jonaw, Junaw) to Ghurian 61.2 km route was completed in October 2017 and finally section-4 from Jono to Herat is an Italy-supported 86 km route. Herat

5625-474: Was planned to be upgraded to handle 8.5 million tons by 2016, and to 86 million tons in the future. In October 2017, India's first shipment of wheat to Afghanistan was sent through the Chabahar Port. In December 2018, India took over the port's operations. Following the re-imposition of sanctions against Iran, foreign companies became reluctant to participate in the port's expansion, and only 10% of

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