Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Jan. 31 / Trend H.Hasanov /
Turkmen President Gurbangulu Berdimuhammedov issued a resolution authorizing the Railway Transport Ministry to conclude a contract with the NET YAPI ve Ticaret Muhendislik Mimarlik Musavirlik Limited Sirketi Company (Turkey) to design and build the Bereket station.
The company will construct the station by erecting a two-story building, a high-rise computerized center building, railway tracks to separate train carriages, a two-story railway station building for 100 passengers, railway tracks for freight and passenger trains, andn a switching center supplied with state-of-the-art equipment.
The station will be a part of the new "Bridge" railway between Europe and Asia. The North-South highway will link Turkmenistan with Iran and Kazakhstan, and will be completed by the twentieth anniversary of Turkmenistan's independence on Oct. 27.
The Serhetyaka station will have a 40-seat recreation center for locomotive crews, a hotel for 50 visitors, a railway station for 50 passengers, and railway tracks for freight and passenger train equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and a power switch system.
The document authorizes the start of construction in February and the official launch in October.
It is expected that, by late 2011, cargo can be freely transported to the Persian Gulf, the Indian Ocean, Europe and other regions of the world. According to preliminary calculations, the annual traffic volume of own and transit cargo will reach 10-12 million tons. Moreover, the corridor will be 600 kilometers shorter than the existing passage through Beynau-Turkmenabat-Serakhs, which will reduce the time spent en route by two days and the costs for transportation for clients.
The project is carried out with financial support from the Asian Development Bank and Islamic Development Bank.