In the first four months of 2026, the cargo traffic along the international transport corridor «North-South» reached 2.2 million tons — 68% more than in the same period last year. These data were announced at SPIEF, during the meeting of the governor of the Astrakhan region Igor Babushkin and the ambassador of Iran to Russia Kazem Dzhalali.
New agreements expand the circle of partners
The growth in transportation confirms that the route is becoming more and more in demand for trade between Russia, Iran, India and the countries of the Persian Gulf.
The Russian Ministry of Transport is simultaneously preparing new agreements on transportation with India, UAE, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia — similar documents were previously signed with Iran and Bahrain.
What is behind the growth in transportation
One of the factors of growth is the coordinated tariff policy of the participating countries of the corridor.
According to the Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Andrey Nikitin, today on the eastern branch of the North-South ITK through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan there are discounts on transportation up to 50%, and the volume of container transportation in this direction in 2025 increased by 60%.
The countries of the route are jointly increasing the competitiveness of the corridor. For cargo owners, this means an alternative route, which, thanks to discounts, is cheaper than usual directions.
What the growth in transportation gives to business
The North-South ITK connects Russia with the countries of South Asia and the Middle East through a network of railway, road and sea routes.
Today, the corridor is seeing growing supplies from India, Iran, UAE and other countries in the region, and businesses are increasingly using this route for import and export operations.
Infrastructure is also growing. The Astrakhan region is expanding port capacity and building new vessels for the Caspian basin, while Russia and Iran are pursuing joint investment projects.
Industry experts call the Trans-Caspian route through the ports of the Caspian Sea the likely next step in the development of the corridor — it reduces the number of transit states on the cargo route.
Logistics expert's opinion
Until recently, the North-South ITK was talked about as a future project. Today, statistics show that the route is becoming an integral part of international logistics.
The growth in cargo traffic by 68%, the expansion of cooperation with the countries of the Persian Gulf and the coordinated tariff policy of the participants indicate the long-term development of the direction.
For Russian importers and exporters, this means more opportunities to work with India, Iran, UAE and other countries in the region. The higher the volume of transportation and the higher the competition between market participants, the lower the tariffs and the more attractive the route itself becomes.