Tbilisi, Georgia, Dec.11
By Nana Kirtzkhalia - Trend:
The Kars - Akhalkalaki railway construction has not been suspended,Georgian Energy Minister Kakha Kaladze said.
The minister said there are no problems regarding this project.
"Initially there were some problems, but now the railway construction continues normally. This project is very important for our country, and it will be completed in the near future," Kaladze said.
It is expected that the construction of the Baku - Tbilisi - Kars (BTK) railway, which is one of the most important parts of the Caspian transit corridor, will be completed in 2014. In the first stage it will be able to carry one million passengers and 6.5 million tons of cargo. Future capacity of the BTK will increase to three million passengers and 20 million tons of cargo.
The total length of the BTK is 826 kilometers (about 513 miles). After commissioning of the railway mutual trade between Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey will increase significantly, the total volume will exceed $ 10 billion per year.
Translated by M.L.
Edited by C.N.