Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 13
By Maksim Tsurkov – Trend:
Azerbaijan Railways CJSC has built nearly 200 kilometers of railways since early 2016, Javid Gurbanov, head of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, told reporters in Baku Oct. 13.
He said that the construction and renovation of Azerbaijan’s railways continues.
“On Oct. 12, we commissioned the updated production base for the construction of railways in Sangachal settlement,” said Gurbanov. “We will try to complete the construction of Baku-Ganja high-speed railway until late 2017. The trains’ speed on this railway will reach 100 km/h and this will make it possible to get to the final destination within 3.5-4 hours.”
He noted that the construction of 8.3-kilometers-long railway section has been also completed in Azerbaijan’s Astara city within the International North-South Transport Corridor.
“Construction of the bridge across the Astarachay River on the border of Azerbaijan and Iran nears end,” Gurbanov said. “The opening of this bridge will take place in a month, maximum in six weeks, and that will become a strong impetus for the cargo transportations to increase.”
Azerbaijan and Iran are participants of the large and perspective International North-South Transport Corridor, which is meant to connect Northern Europe with Southeast Asia.
At the initial stage, it is planned to transport 5 million tons of cargo via the North-South corridor per year and to increase the figure to over 10 million tons in the future.
In addition to its international aspects, the corridor will have a significant role in reducing transportation costs as well as boosting the volume of trade turnover between Iran and Azerbaijan.
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov