Oleg Bichiashvili: "Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway opens great opportunities"

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway (BTK) will open in the next two months. This statement by the Turkish Minister sounded like a sensation, as the opening of the BTC was announced more than once, but it was the first time when such concrete and short terms were named. The statement of the Foreign Minister of Turkey aroused great interest in Georgia. Vestnik Kavkaza spoke with Oleg Bichiashvili, the director of the Marabda-Kartsakhi Railway LLC. This organization, 100% of the shares of which belongs to the state, supervises the BTC from the Georgian side.

- Mevlut Cavusoglu announced that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will start operating within the next two months. Did the Turkish Foreign Minister mean the whole highway or any of its sections?

- We appreciate and welcome the active position of Turkey. But due to the large amount of work, it will be difficult for the Turkish colleagues to complete their site in the mentioned terms. However, if they succeed, then we are ready. I think that Mr. Cavusoglu meant only the Turkish section of the BTC. The completion of construction has already been postponed several times. It was planned to complete the work in 2012, but they did not make it. Since then, our Turkish colleagues postpone the launch of the project every year due to subjective and objective reasons. For example, construction work is carried out at an altitude of 2000 meters above sea level, where the natural conditions are very severe.

- Does Georgia manage its schedule of work?

"Despite the harsh climatic conditions, we have already completed our part of the construction work and waiting for our Turkish colleagues to reach to the appropriate level in order to jointly launch infrastructure works. We are not able to start these works unilaterally, because we are talking about very fragile and precise equipment, which can be damaged in winter conditions. Therefore, we are waiting for our Turkish colleagues to finish their work.

- The Turkish Foreign Minister mentioned the 'Edirne-Kars' high-speed railway, which is planned to be attached to the BTC. How is this project, as well as the construction of the railway tunnel under the Bosphorus, linked to the BTC?

- The tunnel is directly linked, since the railway goes from Kars to Istanbul, and starting from Istanbul it connects to the railway system of Europe through this tunnel. This is a common highway, you can say it is a single organism from China to London. As for the 'Edirne-Kars' section, I am not familiar with the profile of this project, but as a specialist, I think that if there are not high elevations on the site, it is quite possible to build a high-speed railroad highway.

- There are various figures of the future capacity of the BTK in the international media. For example, 15 million tons of cargo and a million passengers per year. Is this real?

- Yes, but only in the second stage. Now, the design capacity of the BTK is 5 million tons of cargo per year. However, given the defect found in the project, now the volume is unlikely to exceed 4 million tons. It will require additional work to reach full production capacity. But it is important to emphasize that these works can be perfectly fit in realistic terms of completion of construction and reach full production capacity of 5 million tons of cargo per year.

- How competitive are passenger services along the Tbilisi-Istanbul route, if budget airlines offer a ticket for this route for 40-50 euros?

- Such air tickets are an exception, not a rule. Land communication with Turkey is actively carried out by buses. But the railway communication is much more comfortable. We will have passenger cars, where a person can rest - to fall asleep and wake up in Istanbul.

- Is there any risk that the BTK will 'take away' cargo from the Black Sea ports of Poti and Batumi?

- There is no such risk. Each route has its pluses and its own load. In the direction of Turkey, we will be able to take half of the projected capacity, 2.5 million tons of cargo. Thus, we will 'take away' cargo and compete not with the Black Sea ports, but with shipping companies that transport cargo across oceans and seas, enter ports and supply the north-eastern regions of Turkey bordering our country. I mean those cargoes that are not currently transported along the Baku-Poti-Turkey route, especially energy and container transportation.

- How is cargo transportation from the Pacific coast through the BTK promising, when China and Russia reached an agreement on the active use of the Trans-Siberian Railroad?

- The first test block train has already passed through the Russian Federation and reached London in 17 days. The local speed did not exceed 17 km / h. This is a low indicator. Our way is the shortest, and we can compete with the Trans-Siberian Railway. However, the freight turnover with China is so hign, and the flow from the Pacific basin is so huge, that it will be enough for both Russia and the BTK.

- Which cargo nomenclature is planned to be transported by the BTK?

- Basically it is about the goods needed for the north-eastern regions of Turkey. They are planned to be exported from Azerbaijan. Including energy (gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, tar, liquefied gas), coal, timber, container transportation, cotton from Central Asia, finished products from China. In the opposite direction - textiles from Turkey and so on. There are great opportunities. But energy, wood and container transportation will be a priority.

- Will rail transport affect the cargo road traffic along the Turkey-South Caucasus route?

- Yes. I cannot tell you exact figures, but road transport will be reduced. This is especially true for massive loads. The railway will become a hegemon here.

- Are there environmental risks associated with the BTK?

- The railway is the most environmentally friendly transport. Road transport in this respect does not compare to it. From the ecological point of view, it is expedient to load the railway as much as possible.

- How many people are employed in the construction of the Georgian section of BTK and what is the volume of investments?

"There are two thousand people working on our site. The budget of our part of the project is $755 million. Of this amount, only $125 million remains to be mastered. We plan to further reduce the amount of undeveloped funds by the end of the year by building infrastructure.

- Do you already think about the opening ceremony? Where will it take place and how large will it be?

- Time will tell. We believe that the opening ceremony should be "on the spot", that is, where the new highway will be launched on our side. It is possible and on the border with Turkey, but as you know, there is a five-kilometer tunnel there. My colleagues and I will choose the best option.