Today.Az, Azerbaijan
March 12 2009

Works will be resumed on Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad

12 March 2009 [10:07] – Today.Az

The restoration of land works in Georgia in the framework of the
construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad is expected from March
15.

"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/

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