New Delhi March 21

The Russian Railways has initiated talks with the Indian Railways to take a lead in forming a consortium (an operating company) that would offer container transportation service between Russia, Iran and India through a rail-cum-sea link.

The link being discussed envisages sea connectivity between Iranian port of Bender Abbas and Mumbai, or other Western ports of India — thus, bypassing Pakistan. Between Russia and Iran, the connectivity could be through rail (via Azerbaijan) or rail-cum-sea.

The talks assume significance in the backdrop of a memorandum of understanding signed by the Russian Railways with the Iranian Railways to set up a railway track building and operations company.

Russia has entered into an agreement with Iran to build a new railway line between Qazvin-Rasht-Astara (which is one of the key links in the North-South International Transport Corridor) and set up an international consortium to build and jointly operate the line.

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