The North—South International Transport Corridor: what is known, prospects

An intergovernmental meeting between Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran began in Baku on Monday, October 13. The main topic of discussion was the implementation of the North—South International Transport Corridor (ITC) project. The meeting took place after the beginning of normalization of Russian-Azerbaijani relations. For more information about the corridor, as well as about the meeting, see the Izvestia article.

Meeting of Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran: what was discussed

Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran held an intergovernmental meeting, during which the parties agreed to work on increasing the volume of traffic along the North—South transport corridor. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev and Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Farzane Sadegh participated in the talks.

During the meeting, the parties agreed:

— take measures to increase freight traffic through the MTK to 15 million tons;

— ensure continuous growth of cargo flows;

— Create a working group (consisting of representatives of the customs, border and transport authorities of the three countries) to prepare an Action Plan for the implementation of the planned measures within three months.;

— to conduct a joint on—site inspection of important infrastructure projects of the North-South international transport corridor on October 14;

— accelerate projects aimed at expanding infrastructure along the North—South transport Corridor, as well as at developing and diversifying transport communications.

The parties also noted the need to simplify border crossing procedures and digitalize transport, border and customs operations throughout the corridor.

The international North—South transport corridor: what is known, advantages

The North—South MTK is a multimodal route for transporting passengers and cargo. It runs from St. Petersburg to the port of Mumbai. Its length is 7.2 thousand km.

The route was created to attract transit cargo flows from India, Iran and other Persian Gulf countries to the territory of the Russian Federation through the Caspian Sea, and then to Northern and Western Europe.

The development of the corridor is one of the priorities of the Russian Federation's policy in accordance with the Transport Strategy of the Russian Federation until 2030.

The creation of the corridor was facilitated by the signing by Russia, Iran and India of the Agreement on the North—South Transport Corridor in 2000. In 2002, it was ratified by all the parties and entered into force. Later, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Oman, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Syria, Bulgaria, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Ukraine joined it.

There are currently three recognized branches running through the MTK:

— along the western shore of the Caspian Sea (west). In order for this section to work, it is necessary to build the Rasht—Astara railway section in Iran. According to the latest information, the contract for its construction may be signed in the near future, after which the construction of the line will begin.;

— on the eastern shore (east). Direct railway connection via Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan with access to Iran's railway network;

— trans-Caspian (across the Caspian Sea). Through Russian ports: Astrakhan, Olya and Makhachkala.

The main advantage of the MTK North—South is the reduction of the route by at least two times — today the journey through the Suez Canal takes about 45-60 days, thanks to the MTK North —South it can be reduced to 30. In the future, it is planned to integrate it with the Transarctic Transport Corridor, which will also start in the port of St. Petersburg, which will give access to the northern regions of the Russian Federation to the Middle East and the Indian Ocean zone.

In March 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized the need to integrate TATK with the North-South corridor at the Arctic Forum in Murmansk.

Transarctic Transport Corridor: what is known about the route

A major route through the Arctic will open up new prospects for Russian entrepreneurs

Cargo transportation volumes on the North—South MTC

According to the Federal Customs Service of Russia, from January to June 2025, more than 176.7 thousand international vehicles passed through the Russian-Azerbaijani border. This figure increased by 10% compared to the same period in 2024.

It is also reported that cargo turnover across the border in the first half of 2025 increased by 13% to 6.8 million tons.

Data for June — September are not provided.

In general, according to estimates by the Eurasian Development Bank, cargo transportation along the North—South corridor may amount from $25 million to $32 million by 2030. The Russian government plans that the corridor's carrying capacity will reach 30 million tons by 2030 and 35 million tons by 2035.