Turkmenistan increases volume of international cargo transportation

Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, June 10 / Trend G. Hasanov / High scores were achieved by Turkmenistan for the period from January to May 2013 in enterprises for automobile, railway and air transport, the Turkmen government reported. According to the report, the growth rate of cargo turnover in the railway industry reached 127.2 percent, and services for the transportation of passengers to 104.6 percent. The analogous figures for the Turkmen Ministry of Automobile Transport amounted 102.8 percent and 101.8 percent, for the State National Service 'Turkmenkhovayollary' (Turkmenistan Airlines) 119.4 percent and 103.4 percent, and for the State Service of Maritime and River Transport 101.8 percent and 128.3 percent respectively. Turkmenistan has land borders with Kazakhstan, Iran, Russia, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan; on the Caspian Sea it borders with Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Iran. In recent years, regional transport projects activated in the country: a large-scale reconstruction of the Turkmenbashi sea port is being carried out, motorways are being upgraded. In May of this year, a project was launched for linking up the railways on the Kazakh-Turkmen border. Overall, the "North-South" project is being implemented by two neighboring countries jointly with Iran, for which a trilateral intergovernmental agreement was signed in 2007. It is expected to connect the railway networks of Iran and Turkmenistan before the end of the year. The regional project will open an access for the European and Asian countries to Central Asia and to the Persian Gulf. An analogous opportunity will appear for the transit of goods from countries of South and Southeast Asia, from the shores of the Indian Ocean to the countries of Northern and Eastern Europe through Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Russia. According to preliminary forecasts, primarily three to five million tons of cargo will be transported through this highway per year, and in perspective the volumes will increase to 10-12 million tons. The project is implemented with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB). Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az