The U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran failed to disrupt operations along the International North–South Transport Corridor, Natalya Zadonskaya, Deputy Head of the International Projects and Digitalization Department at the International Transport Corridors Directorate, said at a discussion hosted by the Rossiya Segodnya media group.
“When it comes to the North–South corridor, the Ministry of Transport is closely tracking developments through our directorate. As you know, the situation has been changing virtually by the day,” Zadonskaya said during the roundtable “The New Trade Axis: Today’s Key Logistics Routes.”
According to Zadonskaya, all three branches of the corridor remained operational throughout the conflict. Along the eastern branch, which runs through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, RZD Logistics—a subsidiary of Russian Railways—continued to operate regular container services.
“At first, there was a sense that the eastern branch might shut down altogether, since several rail bridges came under attack. In the end, however, the damage to infrastructure proved far less severe than we had expected,” Zadonskaya noted.
She also credited Iranian railway crews for their dogged work in restoring damaged facilities in record time. One of the bridges was back in service within just 48 hours. As of now, all damage has been repaired.
The western branch, which runs through Azerbaijan, has also continued to operate. It plays a critical role in shipping Iranian fruits and vegetables—all the more so given that the harvest season in Iran is now in full swing.
With through rail service along the western branch remaining impossible due to the missing Rasht–Astara link, road transport has taken on a central role. “Our drivers from Dagestan, and credit where it’s due, are brave people. They never stopped these shipments, not even during the hostilities,” Zadonskaya said. According to her, traffic volumes have not only held steady but in fact ticked up somewhat.
On the Rasht–Astara segment itself, where preparations for construction are underway, work is also continuing. According to the latest reports, site investigations are currently in progress. The authorized organization carrying out these surveys is Caspian Services LLC on the Russian side, with CDTIC representing the Iranian side.
The central (trans-Caspian) branch—along which cargo moves directly from Russian ports in the Astrakhan Region and Dagestan to Iranian ports on the Caspian Sea—has been the least exposed to risk. The hostilities have had virtually no impact on its operations.
Dmitry Koptev
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