North-South Highway/Iran-Armenia Railway

[londontsi]

Re: North-South Highway/Iran-Armenia Railway

You can see why Russia would turn a 180 on this issue as China tries to step in. The relations between China and Russia are very interesting as both need each other yet both also compete for regional influence. It will be very interesting to see how the relations between these nations evolve and how it will effect us.

I was listening to a discussion about China –Armenia relations.
One of the specialists said something very interesting.

China does not have a specific policy towards Armenia.
It has a regional policy dominated by Iran.

Therefore they do not ( or cannot) have a different policy towards Armenia from Iran.
In other words if there are good China – Iran policies we benefit.
If they stop being interested in Iran they will not be interested in us.

.

[Haykakan]

Re: North-South Highway/Iran-Armenia Railway

I was listening to a discussion about China –Armenia relations.
One of the specialists said something very interesting.

China does not have a specific policy towards Armenia.
It has a regional policy dominated by Iran.

Therefore they do not ( or cannot) have a different policy towards Armenia from Iran.
In other words if there are good China – Iran policies we benefit.
If they stop being interested in Iran they will not be interested in us.

.

Geopolitics are really turning into Armenia's favor. Lets hope things continue to get better. USA wants to stick its nose back into Iraq now so it seems things will be getting more complicated in that region.

[Mher]

Re: North-South Highway/Iran-Armenia Railway

Repayment of Projects of this nature and size should be seen as long term obligation.

Not 20 years but more like 50 years if not 100 years.
A 100 year loan could make things manageable, roughly
(Repayment of $300) + (a low interest)+ (Maintenance) against (Toll charges) + (a variable subsidy)

If you consider its strategic significance both to the economy and geopolitics you start having the grounding for making a case.

Russians may not be too enthusiastic because they already have access to a North South route through Azerbaijan.

Geopolitically it would be appealing to Iran and Georgia as alternative to Azerbaijan.

It could also have an appeal to Russia all eventualities considered.

Financing would be difficult.

Do not think all Armenian effort would be viable both financially as well as administratively.
Do not think such money ( as a single investment) or trust exists.

Middle eastern sources have already show interest by spending substantial amounts to conduct a feasibility studies.
Asian Banks, Chinese money, Iran, Russia could be sources.
The Western entities might participate if they see any anti Russian slant to the whole picture.

The counter argument will be what else could we have done with such a vast amount ..... if the funds were available.

.

Actually Russia doesn't really have much of a North-South Access. The Railway running through Azerbaijan goes through Dagestan, and is considered very unreliable. The reason Russia doesn't show much interest in this project is because this project is no benefit to them unless the Abkhazia Railway is restored which we are years away from. Without that Railway, the existence of this would make no difference for Russia.

[Federate]

Re: North-South Highway/Iran-Armenia Railway

I have a bad feeling about this whole railway project

The constant delays, political problems, lack of Russian enthusiasm... I feel like even if we finally get the backing to start building it, the cost is going to balloon ridiculously because of corruption and incompetence.

[Eddo211]

Re: North-South Highway/Iran-Armenia Railway

They should connect to Artsakh, then Armenia to avoid construction problems due to terrain.......but NKR is not recognized which makes it hard for Iran.

[londontsi]

Re: North-South Highway/Iran-Armenia Railway

Chinese company takes interest in funding construction of Armenia’s Southern railway

http://armenpress.am/eng/news/810055/chinese-company-takes-interest-in-funding-construction-of-armenia%E2%80%99s-southern-railway.html

YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. Gagik Beghlaryan - Minister of Transport
and Communication of the Republic of Armenia - met Vu Vanliang -
the president of the board of China Civil Engineering Construction
(CCECC) and the representatives of the company. As Armenpress was
informed by the Information Department of the Ministry of Transport
and Communication of the Republic of Armenia, the significance of
constructing Armenia's Southern railway was emphasized during the
meeting. The president of "CCECC" board reconfirmed the Chinese
company's interest and desire to participate in the construction of
Armenia's Southern railway.

CCECC was established in 1979 according to the approval of the State
Council of the People's Republic of China. It performs international
contracting and economic cooperation, CCECC has been developed from
the earlier Foreign Aid Department of the Ministry of Railways (with
the experience of executing the biggest foreign-aid project of China,
the TAZARA) into a large-scale state-owned enterprise for project
contracting. Its business scope expands from international contracting
for railway construction to civil engineering design & consultancy,
real estate development, trading, industrial investment and hotel
management as well. The business activities of CCECC have expanded to
over 40 countries and regions where more than 20 overseas offices or
subsidiaries have been established. With its excellent performance and
high quality in services, CCECC has been listed among the world's top
255 international contractors for many years and ranked consecutively
among the first 70 in recent years by the Engineering News Record
"ENR". From 1970 to 1975, the foreign aid department of the Ministry
of Railways, helped build the TAZARA Railway in Tanzania and Zambia.

The 1,860 km railway in Africa was China's single largest foreign
aid project.

On 1 June 1979 China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation was
incorporated, upon the approval by the State Council of China. After
approval by the State Economic and Trade Commission and the Ministry
of Railways, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation was
reformed into Group on December 26, 1996, With the China Civil
Engineering Construction Corporation as the core enterprise, and
simultaneously changed its name into Group (here is after called
CCECC). CCECC completed the disconnection with the Ministry of
Railway on September 2000, and meanwhile was attached to the Industry
Commission of Central Enterprise of the China Communist Party Central
Committee. At the beginning of 2003, CCECC was, along with other 195
central enterprise, under the direct leadership of the State-owned
Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council.

CCECC underwent strategic reform with the China Railway Construction
Corporation in the form of mergence on September 2003 based on the
spirit of the document "The Written Replay on the reform of the China
Railway Construction Corporation and the China Civil Engineering
Construction Corporation(document No.: SA Reform [2003] No. 153)"
issued by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration
Commission of the State Council. CCECC, at present, is the member
of the China Chamber of International Commerce, the Vice Chairmen
level unit of the China International Contractors Association and the
Director of the China International Engineering Consulting Association.

In 2009, CCECC was completed both bores of the 8.6 km Carmel Tunnels
in Haifa, Israel. In 2014, CCECC is building a double track standard
gauge railway from Lagos to Kano, in Nigeria. In 2014, CCECC was
completed both bores of the 4.6km Gilon tunnel on the 23km Acre-Carmiel
line under construction in northern Israel. In 2014, CCECC have won
contract to bild Carlebach undergraund station of Tel Aviv Light Rail.

[Zeytun]

Re: North-South Highway/Iran-Armenia Railway

Iran and Iraq have agreed to connect their railways, opening a new route to link with the much-coveted Silk Road.

http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/06/25/417509/iran-iraq-basra-railway

[Zeytun]

Re: North-South Highway/Iran-Armenia Railway

M6 Vanadzor-Alaverdi-Georgian Border Interstate Road Rehabilitation and Improvement Project

This is a new proposed project:

http://www.eib.org/projects/pipeline/2011/20110566.htm

http://www.adb.org/projects/49244-002/main

In a new document released by the ADB they say that the north south project will end after 2020 "The North South Road Corridor, which is under construction and is
expected to be completed after 2020, is mainly for cross-border trucks to western Georgia towards Black Sea ports. "
The ADB is the main contributor to this project (Loans, Consultancy,etc...). So the project has been delayed 2 times now , 2017 then 2019 and now after 2020.

[Zeytun]

Re: North-South Highway/Iran-Armenia Railway

Second Road Linking Armenia and Artsakh Will Be Completed in 2016

http://asbarez.com/141611/second-road-linking-armenia-and-artsakh-will-be-completed-in-2016/

The construction of the Vardenis-Martakert highway connecting Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh will be completed at the end of 2016, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund has said.
Construction on the 116-kilometer-long road link began in 2011, and will run from the northern Karabakh town of Martakert to Vardenis in eastern Armenia through the Karvachar district. It will be the second road between Armenia and Karabakh built with the financial assistance of the Armenian Diaspora.

Artashat-Ashtarak section of North-South motor road in Armenia to be commissioned later this year

http://arka.am/en/news/politics/artashat_ashtarak_section_of_north_south_motor_road_in_armenia_to_be_commissioned_later_this_year/

The Artashat-Ashtarak section of the North-South motor road in Armenia is planned to be commissioned before the end of this year, Arthur Arakelyan the deputy transport minister, said Thursday in the National Assembly.
In his words, Armenia is now negotiating with the Eurasian Economic Union's Stabilization and Development Fund to sign a loan agreement for construction of a 21-kilometer road section in Syunik as part of the North-South program.
He also said that design of a road section from Talin to Gyumri will be completed before the end of this year.
The construction of the transport corridor is expected to be completed before the end of 2017.

[Mher]

Re: North-South Highway/Iran-Armenia Railway

Second Road Linking Armenia and Artsakh Will Be Completed in 2016

http://asbarez.com/141611/second-road-linking-armenia-and-artsakh-will-be-completed-in-2016/

The construction of the Vardenis-Martakert highway connecting Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh will be completed at the end of 2016, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund has said.
Construction on the 116-kilometer-long road link began in 2011, and will run from the northern Karabakh town of Martakert to Vardenis in eastern Armenia through the Karvachar district. It will be the second road between Armenia and Karabakh built with the financial assistance of the Armenian Diaspora.

Artashat-Ashtarak section of North-South motor road in Armenia to be commissioned later this year

http://arka.am/en/news/politics/artashat_ashtarak_section_of_north_south_motor_road_in_armenia_to_be_commissioned_later_this_year/

The Artashat-Ashtarak section of the North-South motor road in Armenia is planned to be commissioned before the end of this year, Arthur Arakelyan the deputy transport minister, said Thursday in the National Assembly.
In his words, Armenia is now negotiating with the Eurasian Economic Union's Stabilization and Development Fund to sign a loan agreement for construction of a 21-kilometer road section in Syunik as part of the North-South program.
He also said that design of a road section from Talin to Gyumri will be completed before the end of this year.
The construction of the transport corridor is expected to be completed before the end of 2017.

I drove on the Mardakert-Vardenis road about three weeks ago coming back to Yerevan from Mardakert, because a friend in Shushi had mistakenly told me that he had from contacts in Mardakert that the road is mostly complete.

The road was probably around 30-50% complete. The parts that were complete were of solid quality, but were still missing lane markings, and signs and stuff. The parts that were incomplete, were in pretty rough condition. We're not talking about dirt road, but rocky rough road, as should be expected of mountainous terrain. But the scenery was beyond anything you can imagine. It was like one wallpaper after another. It was probably the most beautiful stuff I had ever seen in Armenia. Also Dadivank, which was pretty unreachable before this, was on the way. I think once the road is complete, the road will see a lot of traffic just because of the scenery, and not to mention the quick access from Yerevan to Dadivank and Gandzasar.