In March 2007, Azerbaijan State Railway Department (ASRD) intends to receive grant to prepare the feasibility study for the project of rehabilitation of the railway link via the route Baku-Boyuk Kesik, a Government source informed Trend. The grant totaling $ 200,000 will be presented by the Japanese Government.
Within the project, it is intended to prepare the feasibility study for the rehabilitation of the stretch of the rail link from Baku to the Georgian border, which is included in the project of opening the railway transportation corridor via the route Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku.
Turkey has already allocated finance from its state budget for the realization of this project in 2007 and begins construction works. The negotiations with Georgia are being completed and next year, it will begin construction.
Mainly cargos from Kazakhstan, China and Russia will be transported through this route. During the Ministerial meeting in Kazakhstan in August 2006, the Kazakh side undertook obligations to send at least 10 mln tons of cargo via this corridor.
The project of creating railway transport corridor Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku includes constructing the railway stretch Kars-Akhalkalaki in length of 98 km, with 68 km via the territory of Turkey and 30 km via Georgia. In addition, it is intended to reconstruct necessary for stretch Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi. The average cost of the project amounts to $400 mln.