A subsidiary of Russian Railways (RZD) has launched a new rail freight service to India via the eastern branch of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).

The service, focused on shipping Russian grain, will transit through Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Iran’s Bandar Abbas port before reaching India — cutting delivery time by 14% to 30 days.

Meanwhile, Iran is nearing completion of the Chabahar-Zahedan railway, expected within six months, to enhance corridor capacity and connectivity.

On the INSTC’s western branch, Russia has also begun delivering grain to Armenia via Azerbaijan for the first time, with 132 more wagons planned, signaling expanding regional cooperation and strengthening the INSTC’s trade potential.