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Monday,
July 23,
2007, #138 (1405) The first session of the coordination council for the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway was held in Baku on July 18–19. The talk of the session roved through a broad territory, covering plans for financing, planning, constructing, and operating the Georgia section of the tracks, running from Marabda to Katsakhi on the Turkish border. Georgia Railway director general Irakli Ezugbaia says a company to run the Marabda–Katsakhi line was set up in January. Tender preparation and survey works are underway, reports the news agency Regnum. Azerbaijani Transport Minister Zia Mamedov predicts the Marabda–Kartsakhi section will cost USD 90 million to build. SOCAR, the Azerbaijani state oil company, says it will allot USD 200 million to finance the rail works in Georgia, starting with USD 50 million in 2007. The railway should be completed in two years, after which an estimated 10 million tons of cargo will be running the rails from Baku to Kars, via Tbilisi. A tender was announced for the construction of the Turkish section; construction of the 76-kilometer line is tentatively expected to begin in September. |
Baku–Tbilisi–Kars Plans Rolling Along