ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT FINDS IT NECESSARY TO BUILD IRAN-ARMENIA RAILWAY

ARKA
Nov 18, 2008

YEREVAN, November 19. /ARKA/. Armenian Government has made a political
decision to build Iran-Armenia railway, Armenian Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan said.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Asian Development Bank
President Haruhiko Kuroda in Yerevanon Tuesday, he said that the
government has already embarked on the construction.

Sargsyan said that Asian Development Bank’s participation in the
construction is very precious, since the bank has rich experience in
such projects.

The Bank targets some part of its financial means for design of
infrastructure and will provide them in grants.

The premier said that the project of Iran-Armenia railway construction
is not new. "This is an old idea and relevant institutions have
already worked out preliminary projects".

"We have preliminary calculations and estimations made by design
institutes. They also outlined three possible routes for the railway,
taking into account length of the railway and the number of bridges
and tunnels", he said adding that the cooperation with the bank’s
specialists will make it possible to modernize the construction
project and think over possibility of using advanced technologies.

Sargsyan also said that the project’s cost was calculated the last
year, but things have changed since then and the cost should be
reconsidered.

Asian Developme nt Bank President Haruhiko Kuroda, in his turn,
said that transport is one of the sectors, in which the bank will
inject money.

He said the railway construction is one of possible projects of the
bank’s financing.

Armenian Transport and Communication Minister Gurgen Sargsyan said
that the 447-kilometer route is the most preferable among the proposed
routes.

The Armenian section of the rout goes through Jermuk, Selim Pass,
Martuni and Gavar to Gagarin station.

The minister said that the term of the construction depends on how
intensive state-by-state financing will be. But preliminary estimation
shows that the construction will take up to five years.

"Calculation and design will be paid from $1 million that will be
given by Asian Development Bank’s grants. This money will also be
spent for additional construction of bridges, tunnels, motor roads
and railways will be constructed", he said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress