According
to RT, a multimodal route that includes a railway, roadway network and
seaports, the INSTC spans 7,200 km (4,500 miles) from St. Petersburg to the
port of Mumbai in India.
The corridor is part of Russia’s push to find new transport
routes in light of Western sanctions, which have forced it to shift trade flows
from Europe to Asia and the Middle East.
Construction of the INSTC started in the early 2000s, but
developing it further has taken on a new impetus in light of the restrictions
facing Moscow.
New Delhi has also touted the route as an alternative to
China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
“For the first time, two trains with Kuzbass coal headed to
India along the International North-South Transport Corridor. The trains set
off from the Kemerovo region. They followed along the eastern branch of the
INSTC through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas,”
Russian Railways said.
The coal will be shipped by sea along the final part of the
route from Iran’s port of Bandar Abbas to the Indian port of Mumbai.
