The western wing of the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC) has become operational with a Finnish logistics company despatching a consignment from Finland to India.
- The INSTC offers a shorter multimodal transportation route between Europe and India compared with the Suez Canal way.
- Despatched on June 21, the consignment will move through Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran and reach Mumbai in about 22 days compared with 40 days taken via the Suez Canal and western European ports.
- The container block train will reportedly travel through these three Caspian Sea littoral countries to carry paper-based products in thirty-two 40-foot containers to the final destination in India.
About International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)
- The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is a 7,200 km (4,474 mi) multimodal network of rail, road, and sea routes.
- The route is supposed to shorten the length of time it takes to transport cargo between South Asia and Russia and the Baltic Sea area, from six to three weeks, and open an all-new distance, which is 3,000 km (1,864 mi) shorter than conventional routes.
- In 2017, Azerbaijan and Iran put into operation the 8.3 kilometer-long Astara-Astara railroad, which forms part of the INSTC by linking the two frontier towns in Azerbaijan and Iran.
- In 2019, Azerbaijan and Russia launched a highway bridge over the Samur River along the state border between the two countries. The bridge is seen as an integral part of the INSTC.
