Date set for first test train to be launched on BTK

By Azernews

By Nigar Abbasova

The long anticipated implementation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project, which will open a new rail corridor from the Caspian Sea to Europe, nears its completion.

Governor of the Kars Province Rahmi Dogan said that the railway will be tested on January 1, 2017, adding that the first stage of the construction of BTK project will be completed by late 2016.

The second stage of the project is expected to be launched shortly after the implementation of the first phase.  

Dogan underlined that the project will give a stimulus to the development of the region, and growth of export in participating countries.

Ankara is determined to complete construction of the Turkish section of the BTK, as the project will contribute to turning its Kars province into a trade center. The province play a crucial role in the project, as most of the cargo is expected to be transshipped to Turkish wagons at Kars.

Moreover, the country is also planning to construct a logistics center in the Kars province within the framework of the project.

The project which will practically exclude the need for sea transportation is expected to bring the entire region closer to Europe.  The fact that all participating countries are also TRACECA members is also considered to be an advantageous feature of the project.  

The peak capacity of the railway will be 17 million tons of cargo per year. The fact that all countries participating in the project are is another advantage of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway.

Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey are closely connected with such large pipeline projects as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, which carries crude oil from the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli oil fields in the Caspian Sea to the Turkish Mediterranean coast and the South Caucasus gas pipeline, built to export Shah Deniz gas.

BTK project is expected to further strengthen the neighborly and fraternal relations among Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan, and enable the countries to supply domestically produced goods to the world markets.