INSTC
WHY IN NEWS ?
- Russia has sent two trains carrying coal to India
through the international north south transport corridor
for the first time.
ABOUT INTSC
- Instc : international north south transport corridor
- First mooted in 2000
- 7,200 km multimode transit route linking the Indian
ocean and the persian gulf to the caspian sea via Iran
and onward to northern europe via St. petersburg in
Russia.
- Connects ship, rail and road routes for moving cargo
between India, Iran , Azerbaijan , Russia, central asia
and europe.
- Russia, India and Iran are the founding members
- Agreement signed in 2002
- Three years later Azerbaijan signed up for the project
- CURRENT MEMBERS : India, Iran , Russia ,
Azerbaijan , Kazakhastan, Armenia, Belarus,
Tajikistan , Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine
and bulgaria (observer)
- SOUTHERN HUB of the route : Mumbai
IMPORTANCE OF INSTC
- INSTC offers an alternative to the traditional suez
canal route, reducing transit times to around 25 days
from the usual 45 days and lowering freight costs by
30%
ROUTES & MODES OF INSTC
- Central : begins from the jawaharlal nehru port in
Mumbai , connects to bandar abbas port, Iran on the
strait of hormuz
- Western : connects the railway network of azerbaijan
to that of Iran via the cross-border nodal points of
astara and astara (Iran) and further to jawaharlal
nehru port in India via sea route
- Eastern : connects Russia to India through the
Central asian countries of kazakhstan, uzbekistan and
turkmenistan