International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC):
Russia has sent two trains carrying coal to India through the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) for the first time.
- The consignment will travel over 7,200km from St. Petersburg, Russia to Mumbai port via Bandar Abbas port of Iran.
- International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is a 7,200-kilometer 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.
- It connects ship, rail, and road routes for moving cargo between India, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia, and Europe.
- It was launched on 12th September 2000 in St. Petersburg, by a trilateral agreement signed by Iran, Russia and India at the
- Euro-Asian Conference on Transport in 2000 for promoting transportation cooperation among the Member States.
- Since then, INSTC membership has expanded to include 10 more countries (total 13)-Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, Syria, Belarus, and Oman.
