Works will be resumed on Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad

"Land works at the section where there is a plan to build a new section of the railroad (Marabda-Kartsakhi) were suspended due to winter season in December yet the works will be resumed", said spokesman for the Azerbaijan state railroad Nadir Azmamedov.

He said land works have already been held at the Marabda-Kartsakhi section at a six kilometer part.

In the framework of the budget of the State Oil Fund, ratified by the government of Azerbaijan, there is a plan to allot AZN 80 mln for construction of the BTK Georgian section.

The final document between Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey about BTK construction was signed in Tbilisi in February of 2007. For construction of the Georgian section of the railroad Azerbaijan allocated a lax credit in the amount of $200 mln for the term of 25 years under annual 1% to Georgian "Marabda-Kartsakhi railroad". A new road extending to 29 kilometers, a point on technical maintenance on the border with Turkey will be build from these funds in Georgia, and an old road will be reconstructed. The BTK is estimated at over $600 mln.

In the framework of the project BTK is planning to build a new 105 kilometer branch of the railroad with 76 kilometers to pass via Turkey, 29 kilometers via Georgia. Moreover, a 183 kilometer section of the Akhalkalaki-Marabda-Tbilisi railroad will be reconstructed in Georgia in order to raise the capacity to annual 15 mln tons of cargo. Also in Akhalkalaki there is a plan to build a point to transfer the trains from existing section in Georgia to European.

/Trend Capital/