DUSHANBE, January 14, 2015, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan’s lower house (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of parliament (Majlisi Oli) has ratified an agreement between Tajikistan and the Export-Import bank of China (China Exim Bank) on concessional loans for construction of the Vahdat-Yovon section of the rail link connecting Dushanbe and Qurghon Teppa, the capital of Khatlon province.
A regular sitting of the fourth session of the Majlisi Namoyandagon of the sixth convocation, presided over by its head, Shukurjon Zuhurov, took place on January 14.
Presenting the agreement that was signed in November 2014, the First Deputy Finance Minister, Jamoliddin Nouraliyev, noted that the project was aimed at bringing the country out of transport deadlock and connecting railways o the south and the center of the country.
The estimated budget for the project that provides for construction of three tunnels and eleven bridges is 72 million U.S. dollars, the deputy finance minister said noting that more than 68 million U.S. dollars had been provided by China Exim bank in a form of a concessional loan.
According to him Tajik state railway company, Tajik Railways, will repay the loan.
“To-date, more than 260 million somoni have been sent for construction of the Vahdat-Yovon section of the Dushanbe-Qurghon Teppa railway and the project will be completed in the coming two years,” the Tajik Railways head Komil Mirzoaliyev said, noting that expenses on transportation of cargo on the route Dushanbe-Qurghon Teppa would be reduced five times.
We will recall that construction of tunnels and bridges along the Vahdat-Yovon railway started in early September last. The Vahdat-Yovon railway that is 46.3 kilometers in length is being built in two stages. The first phase of the project includes construction of 13 kilometers of railway from the railway station Ilyak in the Vahdat district to the railway station Gambuloq in the Roudaki district. The second phase includes construction of a 33.3-kilometer railway from the Gambuloq station to the railway station Yovon-2 that will connect the railways Dushanbe-Vahdat and Yovon-Qurghon Teppa.
The present railway link joining the Tajik capital and Qurghon Teppa, which is 429 kilometers in length, runs across the territory of Uzbekistan and the Uzbek authorities have suspended rail traffic to the Tajik southern Khatlon province.
The Vahdat-Yovon railway will link the country”s central part with the southern province of Khatlon and will make it possible to shorten the distance by 152 kilometers.
