POST CONFLICT TRANSPORT STUDY: RAILROADS

There are now emerging signs that the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the related border closure with Turkey may be ending and that a peace agreement could be signed within the foreseeable future. If the borders do open, the state of the Armenian railway links with Turkey at Akhuryan, with the main line of the Georgian Railway at Ayrum and with Azerbaijan at Eraskh and on to Baku will become critical. The study will include the railroad line that goes along the Nakhichevan/Iran border to Baku, even if consultants cannot actually visit all parts of the line.

The consultant will review the studies already conducted on the above connections and assess the need for verification of existing study results; survey the conditions of the Turkish link and identify any repairs or replacements needed to bring the link back into service; survey the conditions of the links with Azerbaijan needed to provide service through to Baku; and survey the conditions of the link from Ayrum through to the connection with the main line in Georgia. The study will estimate the cost of traffic of goods today, potential traffic projection for reopened lines, and cost savings of traffic as a result of the reopening. The output of the study will be a report assessing the issues and costs of restoring adquate traffic flows across the reopened borders of the four countries.