Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Armenia Determined To Build Railroad To Iran

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Armenia Determined To Build Railroad To Iran

    ARMENIA DETERMINED TO BUILD RAILROAD TO IRAN

    Interfax News Agency
    Aug 1 2008
    Russia

    A railroad connecting Iran and Armenia will be constructed regardless
    of whether the Abkhaz stretch of the Georgian railroad will be opened,
    Armenian Transportation and Communications Minister Gurgen Sarkisian
    said at a press conference on Friday.

    "We are not going to wait for anyone and will start building,"
    Sarkisian said.

    Three optional projects for building the railroad to Iran are under
    consideration now, and "there are no other problems but financing,"
    Sarkisian said.

    The cost of the construction will depend on the length of the railroad.

    According to preliminary estimates, the most preferred option is the
    construction of a railroad starting from the station of Gagarin and
    passing through Gavar, Martuni, and Jermuk. In this case, its length
    will be 397 kilometers. "This is the shortest and therefore the most
    economically profitable direction," he said.

    Eighty kilometers of this railroad should run through Iran.

    Two other optional routes, the first one starting from the station
    Yeraskh and the second from Vardenis, would be 443 and 449 kilometers
    long respectively.

    In any case, the project envisions the construction of an absolutely
    new railroad, Sarkisian said.

    Sarkisian had said earlier that the project was evaluated at $1.5
    billion to $2 billion. In addition to Armenia, Iran and Russia also
    expressed its desire to take part in the project.

    Armenia currently has railroad services only with Georgia. The
    commissioning of the Abkhaz stretch of the Georgian railroad should
    help Armenia arrange cargo rail transportation to Russia. A railroad
    connecting Armenia with Iran would turn Armenia into a transit country
    in Iran's trade with Russia and other countries.
Working...
X