Azerbaijan, Baku, July 22 / Trend E. Ismayilov /
The process of creating a new railway Baku-Tbilisi-Kars is planned to be completed by late 2012, CJSC Azerbaijan Railways chief engineer Gurban Nazirov said. Earlier it was planned that the construction of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars will be completed by late 2011.
"The work is underway. Construction process can be completed by late 2012," Nazirov said.
Nazirov said that the work to create railway is underway. The work is carried out in two directions: the construction of a new railway section between Georgia and Turkey and the rehabilitation of the railway station Marabda-Akhalkalaki. The work on the rehabilitation is conducted by Georgian companies and Azerbaijani company Azertikintiservis, which became the winner of the tender. The work includes rehabilitation of an existing railway track with length of 160 kilometers.
It is planned to construct a new 105-kilometer branch railroad as a part of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. About 76 kilometers will stretch on the territory of Turkey, 29 km - Georgia. Moreover, a railway section Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Marabda will be reconstructed in Georgia to increase capacity up to 15 million tons of cargo a year.