Baltic States – CIS, Cargo, Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Railways, Transport

"We basically have concords and would like to send out the first test train in September," CEO of EVR Cargo Raul Toomsalu told BNS, adding that the company can give out more detailed information once it has agreed upon the exact route.

Toomsalu told BNS last November that preparations for the agreement are ongoing but he cannot reveal any more details due to intense competition.

"Estonian Railways will join the North-South project. This will enable freight to be moved from northern Europe and Scandinavia via the port of Paldiski through Russia to Azerbaijan and from there on to Iran and other Gulf states," deputy chairman of Azerbaijan Railways Igbal Huseynov told Russian news agency Interfax in November.

The principal advantage of the North-South Transport Corridor in comparison with other transport routes is that it will substantially reduce costs in terms of time and money. While shipping goods from the Persian Gulf to Helsinki through the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean takes 40 to 60 days, it would only take 20-25 days via the North-South.

To develop the corridor, Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia concluded in 2005 an agreement on the construction of 375 kilometers of railways on Iran's territory, as well as on the territory of Azerbaijan to the Iranian border. The cost of the project is 200 million euros.