Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 19 /Trend V. Zhavoronkova, T. Jafarov/
Preliminary works on feasibility study of the Afghan section of Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan railway project have been completed and tenders are expected to be announced in the coming days for carrying out the feasibility analysis, Deputy Minister of Public Works Ahmad Shah Wahid told Trend on Thursday.
According to him, the Afghan section of the railway has a length of 355 km.
"The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan railway, the construction of which will begin in the near future, will be one of the largest projects in the region," Wahid said.
According to him, the construction of the Turkmen section of the railway has already begun.
The Asian Development Bank undertook the implementation of the Afghan section of the project, and it will cost $350 million, the Deputy Minister said.
"The ADB will be ready to defray the additional expenses if the project cost changes after the feasibility analysis," Wahid said.
According to him, the construction of the Afghan section of the railway will start after the feasibility study. The preparation process for the construction may last 8-12 months.
In March 2013, after the trilateral high level meeting, the Presidents of Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the three countries on the construction of the Trans-Afghan railway.
In April, the first meeting of the working groups on the railway project was held.
A ceremony for laying the foundation of the railway was held in June in Lebap velayat of Turkmenistan with the participation of the heads of the three states.
