Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

South Caucasus: Making tracks along the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway

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

  • South Caucasus: Making tracks along the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway

    Today, Azerbaijan
    Jan 7 2010


    South Caucasus: Making tracks along the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway

    07 January 2010 [09:54] - Today.Az


    To politicians, business interests, train-spotters, and international
    observers, the planned Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is many things: a new
    and improved route for moving cargo through the South Caucasus; a
    potential magnet for foreign investment; an example of tightening ties
    among Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey; a sharp stick in Armenia's eye.

    But at track-side, the project's potential impact can be boiled down
    to one mantra: jobs, jobs, jobs.

    An idea first floated in 1993 after Turkey closed its border with
    Armenia, shutting off the existing rail link between Kars, Turkey, and
    Gyumri, Armenia, the "BTK" project was formally launched in 2007. The
    $600 million effort aims to establish the South Caucasus as a major
    link in the Eurasian transit corridor by building 105 kilometers of
    new track from Kars to Akhalkalaki, Georgia, and modernizing the
    existing line through Tbilisi to Baku.

    Work has proceeded in fits and starts. Both the United States and the
    European Union, which previously supported pipeline projects following
    similar routes, refused to provide financing for the railway because
    it bypassed Armenia. (Azerbaijani oil revenue is instead providing the
    lion's share of the money, including a virtually interest-free $220
    million loan to Georgia for its section.) Construction in Georgia was
    suspended for a time in 2008 due to environmental issues and the
    Ossetia war.

    Originally set to go into operation in 2010, the line is now on track
    to open in 2011, according to Azerbaijani transport officials. (A
    project overview at the rail-industry website railway-technology.com
    puts the opening date at late 2012.) Turkey and Armenia's agreement
    last fall to reopen their border does not seem to have put a damper on
    the project, which experts predict will triple passenger traffic and
    cargo volume on the regional rail network over the next two decades.

    On the ground along the route, such financial and political concerns
    take a back seat, as residents in towns where the railroad was once a
    powerful economic engine look to the BTK to bring badly needed jobs
    and boost wages - or dismiss it is a political ploy to enrich outside
    interests. TOL and EurasiaNet sent photographers to three stops on the
    line - Agstafa, Azerbaijan; Tsalka, Georgia; and Kars, the western
    terminus - to take a look at the old railway and ask locals how they
    thought the new one might change their lives and communities.

    /Eurasianet/


    URL: http://www.today.az/news/analytics/59022.html
Working...
X