Baku-Tbilisi-Kars to contribute to Azerbaijan’s economy
By Amina Nazarli
The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will contribute to the diversification of Azerbaijani economy. It will also create an opportunity for Azerbaijan to turn into a regional hub, Ismail Alper Cosgun, Turkish ambassador said to the journalists.
He said that some delays may occur during realization of such kind of projects due to economic and technical reasons.
“Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia have voiced their stances towards the implementation of the project. Despite delays, the project will be implemented as planned earlier,” the ambassador stressed.
The ambassador also said that the project would be successful. “Compared with energy projects, this project is a long-term one and will give great results and Azerbaijan plays a main role in this process,” he said.
Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is being constructed on the base of Georgia-Azerbaijan-Turkish interstate agreement. The project is funded by the Azerbaijani State Oil Foundation in accordance with the country’s head decree “Realization of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project” since February 21, 2007.
As part of the project, a new 105 km branch of the railway line is being constructed.
Moreover, the Akhalkalaki-Marabda -Tbilisi railway section is reconstructed which increases its capacity up to 15 million tons of cargo per a year.
A post transferring trains from a track in Georgia to Europe is being constructed in Akhalkalaki.
The project is expected to be finished in 2015. And the launch of the first test train is planned by the end of the year.
The capacity of the corridor will be 17 million tons per a year. At the initial stage, the figure will be one million passengers and 6.5 million tons of cargo.
The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line is effective from an economic point of view. It is stable, and secure fully complying with environmental standards. It means the beginning of a new stage in the transport development.
This railway line will expand the multi-modal transportation opportunities and ensure the growth of passenger and freight transportation.
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