Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Dec. 19 / Trend H. Hasanov /
The Ministry of Railway Transport of Turkmenistan will establish a Joint-Stock Company "Demirýolçy", an official Turkmen source informs.
The corresponding decree was signed by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow.
The JSC will include Ashgabat, Bereket, Turkmenabat, Mary locomotive depot, logistics enterprise, Ashgabat depot freight wagons and Turkmenbashi, Turkmenabat and Mary depot wagons.
The decision on this was made at a recent government meeting. Turkmen leader emphasized that significant attention is given to comprehensive development and modernization of the railway industry. The need for further improvement of its performance and achievement of the required quality was also mentioned.
Berdimuhamedov emphasized the role of rail transport in implementation of domestic and international cargo and passenger transportation.
The sectoral ministry along with the Ministry of Economy and Development will determine the value of above mentioned depot and enterprise and prepare founding documents of Closed Joint Stock Company "Demirýolçy".In conjunction with the Ministry of Justice, the ministry will also present proposals for amendments and additions to the country's legislation to the Cabinet of Ministers.
The South-North project is being implemented on the basis of an intergovernmental agreement signed between Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran in 2007.
The North-South project will open the way for European and Asian countries to access Central Asia and the Persian Gulf. A similar opportunity will appear for the transit of goods from the countries of South and South-East Asia, the Indian Ocean to the Northern and Eastern Europe through Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Russia.
According to preliminary estimates, three to five million tons of cargo a year will be initially transported via this route and these volumes will increase to 10-12 million tons in future.
A general plan for development of rail transport in 2012-2016 was approved in Turkmenistan early this year. The plan envisages construction of the Atamyrat-Imamnazar and Gazachak-Shasenem-Dashoguz railways, the Turkmenabat-Farab railway bridge over the Amu Darya, a rail route for high-speed trains running between the city of Turkmenbashi in the Balkan Province and the city of Turmenabat in the Lebap Province, as well a number of other large infrastructure projects.