Russia-India-Iran: North-South Corridor

Initiated by Russia, India and Iran in 2000, the North-South Corridor is intended to be a freight and cargo transit route, stretching from South Asia to Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Russia, and ending in Europe.

The proposed route has an estimated length of 5,000 kilometers, 40 percent shorter than the length of the current Eurasian transit, and is expected to cut transport costs by 30 percent. It stretches southward from St. Petersburg by the Gulf of Finland to cross the Caspian Sea from the southern Russian port of Astrakhan to northern Iran’s Now Shahr port, onward to the Port of Bandar Abbas in south Iran, then across the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea to reach the port of Mumbai in India. It will also connect India’s western coast ports and Iran’s ports of Bandar Abbas and Chabahar on the Arabian Sea. A multi-modal transport system is envisioned integrating motorway and rail transport and ocean shipping services.

俄印伊“北南走廊计划”

“北南走廊计划”最早由俄罗斯、印度、伊朗三国于 2000 年发起，三国计划修建一条从南亚途经中亚、高加索、俄罗斯到达欧洲的货运通道。

“北南走廊”规划全长5000多公里，预计建成后较现在的欧亚运输路线缩短40％，其运费也将相应减少30％。

该运输走廊将北起芬兰湾的圣彼得堡，经俄南部的里海港口阿斯特拉罕，跨里海至伊朗北部的诺乌舍赫尔港，再南下至伊朗南部港口城市阿巴斯，穿过阿曼湾，最后经阿拉伯海抵达印度港口孟买，其中包括公路、铁路、海运等多种运输形式。

该运输走廊计划将印度西海岸港口和伊朗在阿拉伯海的阿巴斯港和查赫巴尔港连接起来。

The project has, however, experienced delays due to lack of capital and political differences. As Iran is centrally located, its lukewarm response, in particular, contributed to a protracted failure to reach consensus on any specific action plan.

该计划自提出以来就因资金迟滞、政治分歧，尤其是处在核心位置的伊朗态度日渐消极而一直进展缓慢，以至于在相当长时间里，各方都没有就实际运作方案达成共识。

The project gained traction again in 2011 on the back of India’s renewed push. Sixteen countries including those in Central Asia have now joined. But the prospects are dimmed by the potential conflicts between India and Pakistan.

2011年，印度的积极推动使该计划得以重获生机。近年来，已经有包括中亚国家在内的16个国家参与到这个项目中。但是，印度积极推动的 “北南走廊计划” 因其与巴基斯坦的潜在冲突，发展前景不被看好。