Tasnim � Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami said with the inauguration of a new railroad connecting the northwestern cities of Mianeh and Bostan Abad the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) would become shorter.

Speaking to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Eslami highlighted Iran�s strategic location and said the country is situated �at the crossroads of the world�.

God willing, the railroad from Mianeh to Bostan Abad will open in the coming days in a ceremony with President Hassan Rouhani in attendance, he said.

The railroad project will shorten the route to the northwestern city of Tabriz by 4 hours, the roads minister added, implying that the INSTC would also become shorter.

In recent years, the Iranian administration has ramped up efforts to boost the country�s railroad industry.

The agreement on the INSTC project was signed in 2012. Among the signatories and acceding countries are Russia, Iran, India, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, Belarus, Oman and Syria. Bulgaria has an observer status in the project.

The INSTC project envisages the construction of transport and infrastructure facilities along the shipping route through India, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia and North Europe.

The project is aimed at reducing the costs and the time of railroad and maritime deliveries between the countries located along the route.