BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov. 12
By Anastasiya Savchenko – Trend:
Laki-Gabala railway section will help ease passenger load during the influx of tourists from abroad, Azerbaijani economic observer Fuad Alizade told Trend.
Alizade was commenting on the prospects for commissioning the Laki-Gabala railway section.
The expert said that the project is expected to be implemented till late 2020.
“According to Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, 10 kilometers of the planned 43 kilometers of the railway have been built; that is, the work has been completed by about 30-35 percent,” Alizade said. “The remaining 33 kilometers of the railway section will pass through a difficult terrain, which may entail additional construction costs.”
The analyst reminded that 30 million manat ($17.6 million) was allocated at the first stage of construction in late 2018 and 45 million manat ($26.5 million) more was raised.
Alizade stressed that the Laki-Gabala railway section, which allows getting to the Gabala tourist center, is primarily designed for passenger transportation.
“It is usually difficult to find tickets during the tourist season while the railway helps to remove this problem,” the expert said. “It is important that ticket prices which are affordable compared to flight tickets will allow our citizens and foreign tourists to get to Gabala as soon as possible.”
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has recently signed an order on additional measures for the construction of the Laki-Gabala railway section to accelerate the construction of the Laki-Gabala railway section and the formation of the necessary infrastructure. The implementation of this project has been launched recently; despite this, a lot of work has already been carried out.
The process of discussing the project intensified in early 2018. In December, the president signed a decree “On measures for the construction of the Laki-Gabala railway section” and allocated large funds for the preparation of design estimates, land acquisition on the project site and the initial work on the railway section construction.
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