As a junction lifting importance of Europe-Caucasus-Asia Transport Corridor (TRACECA)

Implementation of international project on Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and construction of railway tunnel in Bosporus Strait will assure connection of TransEurope and TransAsia railway nets, access of cargo and passengers directly to Europe and Asia via Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, serve growth of transit potential of region countries, acceleration of integration to Europe, development of cooperation within the European Neighboring Policy, strengthening of state independence and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, expansion of foreign trade of our country.

Realization of this project is of huge significance for economic efficiency, speed and time, security and accountability.

Involvement of European and Asian cargo in this railway will grow intermodal and container transportations in both directions.

History

Talks on accomplishment of Kars-Akhalkalaki railway started in session of Turkey-Georgia Joint Commission for transport in Ankara, July 26-29, 1993.

Protocol signed on accomplishment of the Kars-Akhalkalaki railway project in meeting of Turkish and Georgian transport ministers in Istanbul on July 20-21, 2002 envisaged starting the project preparation works, however no progress was achieved in this course.

In the press conference held on June 14, 2004 together with President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili in frame of his official visit to Georgia President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev noted necessity for implementation of project on railway from Georgia to Turkey, declared Azerbaijan was ready to partake in the project.

In the meeting held in Ankara on August 2-5, 2004 on talks on development of Azerbaijan-Turkey transport ties and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars new railway project the parties agreed for implementation of engineering-exploration works and making of coordination project.

The next meeting on the project was held December 28, 2004 and Joint Working Group was created.

Joint Declaration was signed May 25, 2004 in Baku by Azeri, Georgian and Turkish presidents on intensification of realization of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars new railway junction project. The Declaration envisaged the following:

- assurance of signing of intergovernmental agreement on construction and exploitation of new railway junction project;

- involving regional and international institutes and bodies in project implementation, also investors in project funding;

- establishment of Coordination Board to ensure firm cooperation with international organizations, specially EU and TRACECA Intergovernmental Commission’s Permanent Secretariat for project implementation.

Signing of the Declaration by the presidents of all 3 countries stimulated acceleration of realization of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars new railway project.

In the tender held on July 18, 2005 to do marketing works and make technical and economic assessment on the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars new railway project, Turkish company Yuksel Domanich was declared winner and in October 2006 technical and economic assessment for Turkish sector of the project was prepared and submitted to the parties.

The Joint Working Group held sessions in Tbilisi, February 28, 2005, in Baku, April 4-5, 2005, in Tbilisi, December 5-7, 2005, in Ankara, May 4-5, 2006, in Tbilisi, July 13, 2006, in Baku, October 11-12, 2006, discussed identification of financial sources, technical, economic and other issues.

Meetings were held in Tbilisi on January 12-13, 2006 and in Baku on January 22-25, 2007 with participation of delegates from respective ministries of both countries. In the meetings, texts of draft intergovernmental agreements ‘On Baku-Tbilisi-Kars new railway junction’ and ‘On principles and terms for funding, projecting, building, rehabilitation-reconstruction and exploitation of the railway area from Marabda to the frontier of the Republic of Turkey (Kartsakhi) in frame of implementation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars new railway project’, as well of project ‘Credit Deal on terms of financing the railway area from Marabda to the frontier of the Republic of Turkey of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars new railway project’ were discussed and coordinated.

These agreements were signed in the meeting held February 7, 2007 in Tbilisi in presence of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili and Premier of Turkey Receb Tayyib Erdogan.

On inclusion of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars new railway junction in the Main Plan on the Trans-Europe motorway and Trans-Europe railway projects

Section 71 of Report Project of the 67th session of the European Economic Commission’s Committee for Domestic Transport held February 15-17, 2005 stated importance of connection of TransEurope and TransAsia railway mains, envisaged making of new Main Plan according to the Trans-Europe Railway Project (TER) on Caucasus and Central Asia. Inclusion of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars new railway junction in the Main Plan was suggested by our representative present in the event and as result of the session this project was assessed with 4,0 points as first class priority project and included in the Main Plan Final Report released in March 2005 on the Trans-Europe motorway and Trans-Europe railway projects developed by the UN European Economic Commission. TU-R-4 and GE-R-2 codes were given respectively to the Turkish and Georgian sectors of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars new railway project.

Inclusion of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars new railway junction project in ‘European Agreement on important lines of international combined transportations and corresponding objects’

According to document TRANS/WP.24/2005/2 of February 21, 2005 of the European Economic Commission’s Committee for Domestic Transport, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars new railway junction project was included in Appendix I to ‘European Agreement on important lines of international combined transportations and corresponding objects’ under C-E 692 index.

C-E 692 Chetinkaya – Erzurum – Kars – Akhalkalaki

Other important railway lines crossing Azerbaijan:

C-E 60 Tbilisi – Gardabani – Boyuk-Kesik – Baku

C-E 693 Yerevan – Barkhudarly – Gazakh

C-E 694 Gumru – Nakhchyvan – Megri – Elet – Astara

C-E 102 Moscow – Volgograd – Astrakhan – Makhachkala – Baku

Project technical parameters

Construction of Kars-Akhalkalaki sector and rehabilitation-reconstruction of Akhalkalaki-Marabda sector will be carried out in accordance with the International Railway Union standards.

The wheel changing point is supposed to be created at Akhalkalaki cargo station.

Cargo transportation is forecasted 6 mln ton in the 5th exploitation year, while over 15 mln ton in the 10th exploitation year.

Construction and rehabilitation-reconstruction of the project will be performed due to funds of Azerbaijan and Turkey.