A new station has been founded as part of the Marabda-Kartsakhi branch of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway in Akhalkalaki, Trend reports.
Georgian Minister for Regional Development and Infrastructure Ramaz Nikolaishvili and Chairman of the Azer Road Service of the Azerbaijani Transport Ministry Javid Gurbanov visited the construction site of the Marabda-Tetritskaro-Tsalka-Akhalkalaki-Kartsakhi railway branch.
Nikolaishvili said that its construction is realized in three stages. The Marabda-Tetritskaro branch has been concluded and is 29 km long. The Railway Station of Nine Brothers has been rehabilitated, the Kirbulakh railway bridge has been built, the Kartsakh station is about to be completed. The Akhalkalaki-Kartsakh section of 25 km is under construction.
The station in Akhalkalaki will have 550 working. The Marabda-Kartsakh section will give jobs for 4000 people.
Azerbaijan is financing the Georgian section and has issued $580 million as a loan.
Baku-Tbilisi-Kars will have a capacity of up to 15 million tons of cargo. It will be an alternative to the Trans-Siberian Railway, the monopoly for transport between Asia and Europe. With construction of a tunnel under Georgian straits, trains will be able to travel from China to London. The Georgian section is constructed by Azerinshaatservice. The railway will be completed by late 2012.
