ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT STILL REVIEWING PRINCIPLES FOR MANAGING A FUTURE RAILWAY TO IRAN
YEREVAN, February 26. / ARKA /. The Armenian government on Thursday
postponed for two months the deadline for the ministry of transport
and communications to present the principles and mechanisms for
management of a railway that is to be built from Iran to Armenia.
Transport and communications minister Gagik Beglaryan said the deadline
was postponed because the government was still reviewing the principles
and mechanisms in questions.
A provisional program for the construction of the railway was approved
by the government last August.
In 2012, the Dubai-based Rasia FZE Investment Company was granted a
50-year concession by the Armenian government to build and manage the
305-kilometer railway from Armenia to Iran, to be named the Southern
Armenian Railway (SAR).
By late 2013 Rasia FZE developed a feasibility study for the project.
This project is estimated to cost $3.5 billion. The high cost is
explained by mountainous terrain through which it is supposed to pass.
Specifically, the 306 km-long railway will have 19.6 km-long 64
bridges and 60 tunnels of 102.3 kilometers.
The railway is to run from Gagarin station in Armenia’s Gegharkunik
province to Agarak in southern Syunik and may transport up to 25
million cargos a year.
According to an Armenian government statement, the Southern Armenia
Railway will create the shortest transportation route from the ports
of the Black Sea to the ports of the Persian Gulf and establish a
major commodities transit corridor between Europe and the Persian
Gulf region.” .-0-