Both Presidents of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan inaugurated on May 11 after four years of construction. It represents a major step into the integration of Central Asia to the rest of the world through rail.
BOLASHAK- A major inauguration of rail roads by both President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan and President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan took place on May 11 to celebrate the completion of the first rail link across the border between both countries.
Built by Kazakh national railway KTZ in cooperation with local contractors, the 146-km line runs from Uzen (Zhanaozen) in Kazakhstan to the Kazakh border facilities at Bolashak, then crosses the frontier to serve Serhetyaka in Turkmenistan. The new line promises to benefit “tens of countries” in the region, opening the remote areas to major markets, explained during the inaugural Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
It has been an expected project for a long time: after being approved by the two governments back to October 2007, construction was only launched two years later on September 30 2009. The new line replaces a route through Uzbekistan, and forms the first phase of a US$1,4bn north – south corridor linking Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran. From Serhetyaka, the north-south line will run 470 km through Gyzylgaya, Bereket (formerly Gazanjyk) and Etrek to the Iranian border, where there will be a break of gauge. In Iran, a 70 km line from the border to Gorgon on the existing rail network is nearing completion.
‘The railway is a significant contribution to improving the well-being of our peoples’, said Nazarbayev at the cross-border opening celebrations. ‘In addition to the direct economic benefits, the railway is an effective way to further strengthen our good relations with neighbours.’
The north – south corridor will provide Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan with access to the Persian Gulf and the ocean. It is also hoped that Central Asia will have a closer connection to the East, namely to Southeast Asia and China. However, they are not the only countries in Central Asia looking at improving rail transportation: Uzbekistan is engaged in a massive railway construction program designed to increase self-sufficiency. The country recently opened direct links to isolated areas from Tashkent. Kyrgyzstan dreams of becoming a railway bridge between China and Uzbekistan while Tajikistan wants to be more autonomous by building rail links to Turkmenistan and further to Iran via Afghanistan.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
