How the automotive infrastructure of the ITC North-South is developing

According to First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov, by 2030 the volume of Russian cargo along the North-South corridor – along all three branches – will almost double, from the current 17 million to 32 million tons. “But the main prospect, which will take on more than half of the increase, we see primarily in the western route passing through Azerbaijan,” he said. from the current 9 million tons to at least 15 million tons of cargo.”

Road transportation along the North-South corridor, Mr. Belousov said, is also growing. For six months, they amounted to 1.5 million tons, which is 1 million tons, or three times higher than the level of the same period last year. On October 27, the Ministry of Transport announced that the general construction readiness of the first stage of the reconstruction of the Yarag-Kazmalyar automobile border crossing with Azerbaijan is 76%, the completion of the first stage is scheduled for the end of the year, the second – for the third quarter of 2023. Modernization of the border crossing will increase its capacity by almost three times – up to 1.4 thousand vehicles and up to 5.1 thousand people per day. Freight traffic has been opened through the Tagirkent-Kazmalyar-Khanoba border crossing with a throughput capacity of up to 200 trucks per day, the passage of empty trucks through the Novo-Filya-Shirvanovka checkpoint has been organized around the clock.

Azerbaijani Vice Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev said that Azerbaijan is actively developing the automobile infrastructure of the corridor on its territory. “We have jointly completed the construction of a road bridge over the Samur River on the border between Azerbaijan and Russia,” he said. “The construction of a road bridge on the border with Iran has begun, the completion of which we expect this year. The modern Baku-Astara highway was put into operation. This year, the overhaul of the old highway from Baku to the border with the Russian Federation is being completed, and by the first half of next year, the newest highway will be put into operation, which will connect the Russian border with Baku. And we get a link from the border with the Russian Federation to the border with Iran, which is about 500 km, and if heavy trucks could cover this distance in 12-14 hours, then after the delivery of the section from Baku to the border with the Russian Federation, this distance will take about seven hours.

Natalya Skorlygina