Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railway

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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^[1].

[edit] Route

In total 98 kilometers (61 mi) of new line will be built between Kars and Akhalkalaki, with 68 kilometers (42 mi) within Turkey and 30 kilometers (19 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^[2]. A multi-lateral accord to build the link was signed by the three countries in January 2005.^[3], 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%^[4]. A concessional loan agreement for this financing has already been signed between a Georgian state-owned company Marabda-Karsi Railroad LLC and Azerbaijan^[5]. As of September 2007, the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan has allocated the first US$50 million installment of this loan^[6].

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^[7], and the first rails are expected to be laid by March or April 2008^[8].