Moscow, June 9, AZERTAC “The capacity of the checkpoints on the Western route of the North-South International Transport Corridor passing through Azerbaijan has been increased fivefold, reaching 1,900 trucks per day,” Russian Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin said in an interview with TASS.According to him, in the first four months of 2026, the total volume of cargo transportation along the North-South corridor increased by 87 percent. The minister noted that due to changes in the geopolitical situation, an additional impetus has been given to the development of the Eastern and Southern routes.Highlighting the development of the corridor’s infrastructure, Andrey Nikitin announced that Moscow and Tehran plan to begin construction of the Rasht–Astara railway line after stabilizing the situation in Iran.As part of the North-South project, Russia and Iran signed an agreement in 2023 on the joint construction of a 160-kilometer section of the Rasht–Astara railway between Iran and Azerbaijan. The project is expected to provide full railway connectivity to Gulf ports.The minister also noted that Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan apply a unified logistics assessment principle, which creates more favorable conditions for cargo carriers. Farida Abdullayeva Special correspondent