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The Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railway, or Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railway, is a regional rail link project to directly connect Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan. The project is due to be completed by 2010.
Route
In total Template:Km to mi of new line will be built between Kars and Akhalkalaki, with Template:Km to mi within Turkey and Template:Km to mi in Georgia. The existing line from Akhalkalaki on to Tbilisi and Baku will be modernized.
The new railway link is intended to provide an alternative route to the existing Kars Gyumri Akhalkalaki railway line whch has been out of use since 1993, when Turkey closed its border with Armenia to support the Azeris in their conflict with Armenia following the Nagorno-Karabakh War between Armenia and Turkic-speaking Azerbaijan. A multi-lateral accord to build the link was signed by the three countries in January 2005., but the European Union and United States have said they will not assist in promoting or developing the line.
For the construction of the railroad on Georgian territory, Azerbaijan is providing a US$220 million loan, repayable in 25 years, with an annual interest rate of only 1%. A concessional loan agreement for this financing has already been signed between a Georgian state-owned company Marabda-Karsi Railroad LLC and Azerbaijan. As of September 2007, the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan has allocated the first US$50 million installment of this loan.
On November 21, 2007, the presidents of Azerbaijan - Ilham Aliyev, Georgia - Mikheil Saakashvili, and Turkey - Abdullah Gul inaugurated the construction of the railroad at a groundbreaking ceremony in the village of Marabda in southern Georgia, and the first rails are expected to be laid by March or April 2008.
Since Turkey uses standard gauge and Georgia uses Russian gauge the line will either contain a break-of-gauge, may be dual gauge, or only be build in one gauge.
References
- "News". Railway Gazette International. 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-02.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - "Fears of Turkey's 'invisible' Armenians". BBC News. June 22 2006.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - "Pointers". Railway Gazette International. 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-02.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - Vladimir Socor. "Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railroad: Azerbaijan as locomotive of regional projects", Eurasia Daily Monitor, Jamestown Foundation, February 9, 2007
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) Country Report No. 07/299 - Georgia, August 2007
- "The cornerstone-laying ceremony of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway to be held in October". Azeri-Press Agency (APA). 2007-09-12.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "Presidents Inaugurated Construction Of "Baku-Tbilisi-Kars" Railway". Prime-News. 2007-11-21. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "Three presidents launch Turkey - Georgia rail link". Railway Gazette International. 2007-11-22. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help)
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