Test launch of first cars on BTK railway scheduled for year-end

/AzerNews/

By Aynur Jafarova

The test launch of the first cars on the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway (BTK) is scheduled for the end of 2014.

The news was announced by Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways Closed Joint Stock Company Arif Askerov in his article published in the official press.

Being a regional rail link project that connects Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey, the BTK railway is planned to be completed in late 2015.

Azerbaijan has allocated a $775 million loan to the construction of the Georgian section of the railway.

Financed by Azerbaijan's state oil fund SOFAZ, the project was implemented after Azerbaijan's President issued a decree on the 'Implementation of measures within the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project', on February 21, 2007.

The total length of the BTK is 826 kilometers (about 513 miles). After commissioning the railway, mutual trade between Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey will increase significantly, the total volume exceeding $10 billion per year.

Azerbaijan to export passenger car plants

Askerov went on to add that the passenger cars, which will be produced at the passenger car plant in Azerbaijan's second largest city Ganja, will be exported to foreign markets.

He noted along with providing the needs of the domestic market, one of the main goals of the plant is the export of passenger cars to the Central Asian countries, Iran and others.

Initially the plant will produce 50 passenger cars per year. The construction of the plant will be accomplished jointly with the Swiss company Stadler within 18 months.

"The ceremony of laying the foundation of the new facility will take place in the near future," Askerov said.

The passenger cars of Azerbaijan Railways are currently repaired abroad, particularly in Ukraine and Russia, due to lack of necessary infrastructure in Azerbaijan.