Construction work on the 10-kilometre railway line that will link Iran and Azerbaijan is proceeding despite previous delays and is expected to be completed in early 2018, according to a local media report.

The line will link Azerbaijan’s railway network with Iran’s Qazvin-Rasht-Astara railroad.

Some 8km of the line will lie in Azerbaijan with the remaining 2km in Iran.

The construction of the line was originally expected to be completed earlier this year.

The rail line will form part of the North-South Transport Corridor (NSTC) announced in 2000 jointly by Iran, Russia and India.

The NSTC plan consists of rail, road and maritime routes that stretch 7,200km from ports across India to Northern Europe. It is envisaged to carry roughly 6 million tonnes of freight a year, expandable to 15-20 million tonnes.