On 20th June 2024, the 37 km extension of the Qazvin – Rasht passenger rail transport and rail freight transport line to the port of Bandar-e Anzali on the Caspian Sea was put into operation. The line runs through the northern Iranian province of Gilan and, as part of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), completes a continuous railway link between the Caspian Sea and the Gulf port of Bandar Abbas. The INSTC is being developed jointly by Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia and also includes the link currently under construction along the western side of the Caspian Sea between Rasht and the Azerbaijani border town of Astara.
