Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, April 16
By Huseyn Hasanov – Trend:
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has ordered to construct a railway from the Galkynysh gas field in the Mary region to Afghanistan. The issue was discussed at a Cabinet meeting, the Vatan newspaper reported.
Berdimuhamedov gave the relevant instruction during discussions on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project as well as power transmission lines and fiber-optic communications along the route.
Berdimuhamedov pointed out the necessity of building the railroad from the Galkynysh gas field to Afghanistan.
Galkynysh, the second biggest gas field in the world (after South Pars in the Persian Gulf), will be a resource base for TAPI.
In mid-March, it was reported that the Turkmen Railway Transport Ministry reconstructed a railway with a total length of 13 kilometers to Afghanistan's Turgundi station.
Thanks to the realization of this project, the capacity of the station and its importance in the trade turnover of Afghanistan has increased, and opportunity has been opened up for exporting Afghan products to international markets, as well as deliveries of imported goods to the country via a short and optimal way.
Afghanistan's access to the Asia-Pacific region has created conditions for its transformation into a key link for transport corridors passing through Central Asia.
This rail line connecting Afghanistan and the Turkmenbashi international seaport will create an opportunity to reach Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and European countries via sea, the Turkmen government said earlier.
In 2016, Turkmen specialists commissioned a railway line from Turkmenistan's Kerky city to the Afghan Akina.