TBILISI: European Investment Bank Ready To Finance Railway In Armeni

EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK READY TO FINANCE RAILWAY IN ARMENIA

The Messenger
May 19 2010
Georgia

During a meeting with Armenia’s Transport Minister Manuk Vardanian
representatives of the European Investment Bank expressed their
readiness to start negotiations on allotting Euro 120 million for
the construction of the Ashtarak-Gumri railway line. This line could
become part of the north-south corridor which will establish a direct
link between Armenia’s border with Iran and the Georgian Black Sea
ports of Poti and Batumi.

The first tranches of the existing loan allotted by the Asian
Development Bank will be spent on rehabilitating the Yerevan-Ararat
and Yerevan-Ashtarak segments. The next ones will be spent on the
Ashtarak-Gumri and Goris-Kapanis segments. The overall cost of the
project should be around USD 962 million.

German-Austrian company ILF has prepared the construction plan and
PADECO has elaborated the feasibility study.