International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC)
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC)</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is a 7,200 km (4,500-mile) multimodal network comprising maritime, rail and road routes for freight transportation between Azerbaijan, Central Asia, Europe, India, Iran and Russia. The route primarily involves the movement of cargo from India, Iran, Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation by sea, rail and road. The corridor aims to increase trade connectivity between major cities such as Mumbai, Moscow, Tehran, Baku, Bandar Abbas, Astrakhan, Bandar Anzali and others. In 2014, two pilot “dry runs” were conducted: the first from Mumbai to Baku via Bandar Abbas, and the second from Mumbai to Astrakhan via Bandar Abbas, Tehran and Bandar Anzali, in order to identify key challenges and assess economic feasibility. The results showed a reduction in transport costs of USD 2,500 for a 15-tonne cargo. Other routes under discussion along the expanded corridor in the Caspian basin include those passing through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in Central Asia. In its Middle Eastern projection, the INSTC is synchronized with the Ashgabat Multimodal Transport Agreement signed by India (2018), Oman (2011), Iran (2011), Turkmenistan (2011), Uzbekistan (2011) and Kazakhstan (2015), facilitating the transport of goods between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf. At present, the project involves 13 member states (India, Iran, Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Ukraine and Syria) and one observer state (Bulgaria).</p>
