Construction of railway Baku-Tbilisi-Kars to be over in 2012, Ramaz Nikolaishvili asserts

Construction of the railway Baku-Tbilisi-Kars, linking the territories of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey, will be completed in 2012. This was announced by Ramaz Nikolaishvili, Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development of Georgia.

Earlier, the end of 2011 had been declared as a deadline for the completion of the railway's construction. In October 2010, Abid Sharifov, Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan, said that the introduction into service of the railway Baku-Tbilisi-Kars had been scheduled for 2013.

According Mr Nikolaishvili, the construction of a railway station in the town of Akhalkalaki in southern Georgia will also be finished in 2012, the "Business-Georgia" reports.

According to the Minister's statement, these two projects are likely to be the most important for the development of the country's infrastructure. The Minister emphasized that the said railway will quickly transport cargos from China transiting through Georgia to the European markets, the "RBC" reports referring to the TV Channel "Rustavi 2".

The railway Baku-Tbilisi-Kars is also included in the priorities of the Azerbaijani state. In particular, for the coming years "efficient use of transit potential, completion of the construction of the railway Baku-Tbilisi-Kars, the International Sea Trade Port and the shipbuilding yard" are planned.

The railway Baku-Tbilisi-Kars should become an alternative to the Trans-Siberian Railway, which holds the monopoly position in the rail transporting between major countries in Asia and Europe. At the same time, after the introduction into services of a tunnel passing under the Turkish straits, unobstructed travelling of trains from China to Europe up to London will be possible.