ADB TO ANNOUNCE TENDER IN APRIL TO CHOOSE COMPANY TO DEVELOP FEASIBILITY PROJECT FOR ARMENIA-IRAN RAILWAY

ARKA
Jan 28, 2010

YEREVAN, January 28, /ARKA/. A deputy Armenian transport and
communications minister said Wednesday the Asian Development Bank (ADB)
will announce an international tender in April to choose a company
to develop a feasibility project for construction of Armenia-Iran
railway. He was speaking at a second meeting of a trilateral force
task, including Armenian, Iranian and Russian experts, who met in
Yerevan, to discuss the ambitious project.

Last year the ADB released a $1 million grant to Armenia for conduction
of a preliminary feasibility study of the project, which was assigned
to an Austrian company. The deputy minister said talks were underway
with ADB and World Bank.

Iranian deputy road and transport minister Madjid Asadi said the
Iranian side has accomplished a preliminary study of the Iranian
60-km section of the proposed road.

According to some estimates, construction of the 470-kilometer rail
link, the bulk of it passing through Armenian territory, will take at
least three years and cost up to $2 billion. Armenia and Iran hope
to attract much of the required funding from the World Bank and the
Asian Development Bank (ADB).