North-South Highway/Iran-Armenia Railway

[Zeytun]

Re: North-South Highway/Iran-Armenia Railway

Agreement reached in Tehran on linking India and Europe via Iran and Armenia
19:37, 30.01.2016
Region:Armenia, Iran

[...]

In the Minister’s words, the Iranian side has been proposed a new project of railway to Armenia which will pass from Meghri to Vayotys Dzor, reaching Yeraskh instead of Sevan. Next week, specialists from Iran will arrive in Yerevan to study this new project. “This project may be shorter, and it will be possible to construct it faster. The Iranian side expressed interest in participating and helping us in the feasibility study of the new railway, as well as the final projects,” he concluded.

[Zeytun]

Re: North-South Highway/Iran-Armenia Railway

Iran, Armenia To Promote New Eurasian Transport Corridor

http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/27519038.html

Armenia and Iran will strive to create a new transport corridor that would connect India to Europe via their territories, Armenian Transport and Communications Minister Gagik Beglarian revealed on Friday.

Beglarian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) that he reached relevant understandings with senior Iranian government officials during a visit to Tehran last week. The Armenian and Iranian governments will work together in facilitating cargo shipments between Europe and India that would be carried out through the Persian Gulf, Iran, Armenia, Georgia and the Black Sea, he said.

“We agreed to ship two [sample] containers from [the Indian port of] Mumbai to the Black Sea and on to Europe via the Persian Gulf and Iran and ascertain the price [of such shipments,]” he went on. “According to our rough calculations, the cost of this transit route should be lower than other routes offered to Iran, which, as you know, would pass through Turkey and Azerbaijan.”

Beglarian met with Iran’s First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri, Roads and Urban Development Minister Abbas Akhoundi and Communications and Information Technology Minister Mahmoud Vaezi during the January 20-21 trip to Tehran. According to Beglarian’s press service, he discussed with Akhoundi “the creation of a Persian Gulf-Black Sea corridor.”

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani was reported to say, in a January 24 phone call with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian, that the two neighboring states should “spare no effort in connecting the Persian Gulf to the Black Sea.” The two leaders explored this and other opportunities for closer economic ties that have emerged with the recent lifting of international sanctions against Iran.

Beglarian said that in an effort to make the would-be Eurasian corridor more attractive the Armenian government will step up this year the ongoing reconstruction of Armenia’s main highways stretching more than 550 kilometers to Georgia and Iran. The government will specifically try to accelerate highway upgrades in the southeastern Syunik province bordering Iran, he said.

“If we start that work from Agarak (a Syunik town on the Armenian-Iranian border) this year, they will realize that our alternative transit route is better,” explained the minister.

The government already borrowed last year $150 million from the Kazakhstan-based Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) to rebuild a 20-kilometer road currently going through a mountain pass close to Agarak. Most of that money is due to be spent on the construction of a 4-kilometer tunnel there.

The tortuous Kajaran pass is situated over 3,000 meters above the sea level and is frequently closed to traffic in winter months because of snowstorms and ice.

In Beglarian’s words, upgrading the Agarak-Kajaran section alone would significantly shorten travel from the Iranian border to Yeraskh, a railway station about 50 kilometers southeast of Yerevan. Under to the ambitious transit project discussed with Tehran, he said, goods from India and Iran would be transported to Yeraskh by trucks and then shipped to the Georgian Black Sea port of Poti by rail.

[Eddo211]

Re: North-South Highway/Iran-Armenia Railway

Yea, I heard that rumor too.....Iran is the one who is more interested on pipeline or railway than NKR who would be happy to see it happen.

Pssibilities are there and eventually will happen, I know it will.......the only problem is time. we hope it happens soon then getting tangled up in red tape if you know what I mean. its not Armenia but others.

[Mher]

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.

you know there's already gas pipeline projects from Iran going into Artsakh. This is a topic I'll try to get more information on and post here. But it was very interesting when I found out about it, because I immediately thought of this railway. While supplying Karabakh with Iranian gas is much more low key, and easier to sweep under the rug than a major railway connecting Russia to Iran, in principle, if Iran is willing to do the former, I can see a possibility of the latter.

My opinion is, the day the Abkhazia railway with Georgia opens, so this Armenia/Iran railway can actually benefit Russia, is the day Russia swoops in and takes care of the funding, planing, and execution.

[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.

[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.

[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

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

[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.

[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.