ADY Express company has started to transport cargo via the North-South route, the Azerbaijan Railways CJSC said.
“Even though there is no railway between Azerbaijan and Iran, ADY Express company has been already transporting cargo via this route”, the message said. “For example, compressed liquid gas (butadiene) was transported from Iran to Russia in a special container”.
“More than 60 of such containers were transported to the north through the territory of Azerbaijan”, the message said.
“These containers are transported from Iran to Azerbaijan by trucks”, the message said. “Then the containers are loaded onto the platforms at the Astara railway station and transported to Russia”.
Previously, these goods were transported from Iran to Russia by sea to the port of Astrakhan. However, according to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s decree, the trucks, registered abroad and transported into the country for transit purposes for further cargo transportation via Azerbaijani railways, were exempt from duties and road tax.
“A decrease in the cost of cargo transportation through the territory of Azerbaijan has created favorable conditions for the transportation of goods via the country’s transport corridors”, the message said.
The cargo to be supplied via the North-South route will be transported through India, and then through the Persian Gulf, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Russia in the direction of the Scandinavian countries and Northern Europe in 14 days.
The North-South transportation corridor is meant to connect Northern Europe to South-East Asia. It will serve as a link connecting the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia. At the initial stage, the North-South corridor will transport 5 million tons of cargo per year with further expansion of transportation to over 10 million tons. (Trend/Business World Magazine)