Azerbaijan, Baku / corr Trend I.Khalilova / The Azerbaijani Transport Ministry delayed the implementation of the project on opening a 503km-long express train from Baku-Boyuk-Kasik to Georgia for a minimum of three years due to its high cost, Sadraddin Mammdov, head of the Transportation Policy and Economic Department of the Azerbaijani Transportation Ministry said.
"The research showed that the project can only be carried out after 2010 because of the implementation of more urgent measures in the transportation sphere," Mammadov said.
The implementation of the project will positively impact the environment and energy resources.
The Transportation Ministry explained the high cost of the project proposed by the Korean railway with the purchase of lands.
The first variant envisages investing $2.7bln. In the second case, the amount of financing will total $3.5bln. The third project, envisaging the increasing train speeds up to 160km per hour will cost $4.3bln to build. The project will be implemented in seven years (two years for projection and five years on construction).
The railway that travels via Baku-Boyuk-Kasik ( Azerbaijan) to the Georgian border is currently allowing passage for trains traveling 30km per hour, but currently only some sections of the railway allow for speeds up to160km per hour. Azerbaijani transport workers proposed to bring the railway's speed up to 80km per hour at the first stage, and only then, could they gradually reach up to 160km per hour.
Simultaneously, with the Koreans, the Azerbaijani party is currently conducting research and studies in this direction with a consultant of JBIC (Japan Bank for International Cooperation) - Itochu Corporation. It is engaged in preparing a feasibility study of the aforementioned project worth $250,000-$280,000.