Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) reports that over 70% of the construction and installation work at the Astara Terminal site in Iran has been completed. According to the latest progress update, 85% of the terminal’s design work and 72.4% of the physical construction have been finalised. An 8.3 km railway connection has been completed between Astara station and the Iranian border, including a bridge spanning the Astarachay River.
The project includes seven bridges in total. One has already been completed, while work on the remaining six is reported to be 90% finished. The infrastructure is intended to support intermodal transfer and increase throughput on the corridor linking Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, and onward to South Asia.
Cargo handling operations at the terminal are ongoing during the construction phase. In 2023, the Astara Terminal processed over 692,000 tonnes of freight. That figure grew to more than 777,000 tonnes in 2024. Once construction is complete, the annual handling capacity is expected to reach 3.5 million tonnes.
The Astara Terminal is designed to strengthen rail logistics between the Caspian region and the Persian Gulf. The project was launched in 2017 and includes both rail access infrastructure and terminal handling facilities. ADY is overseeing the project on territory leased from Iran. The initiative is part of Azerbaijan's wider plan to expand its role as a regional logistics hub.
