DUSHANBE, March 12, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan’s Railways has purchased 10 cargo cars from a wagon works Uralvagonzavod in the Russian city of Nizhny Tagil, an official with the Tajik Railways told Asia-Plus on Wednesday.
According to him, a total cost of the purchased cars is some $500,000. At present the price of a cargo car fluctuates from US $52,000 to US $57,000, the source said, adding that Tajikistan’s Railways jointly with the Ministry of transport and Communications had worked out an investment project for rehabilitation of the country’s rolling-stock and track facilities. An estimated budget for implementation of this project, which provides for purchase of 18 locomotives and some 2,000 train cars, is $198 million.
In the meantime, speaking to reporters in Dushanbe on March 7, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko noted that Ukraine is ready to supply 1,000 train cars to Tajikistan. According to him, Ukraine is capable to fulfill this order within 16-18 months.
At present Tajik Railways offers three routes to the Russian Federation (Dushanbe-Moscow, Kulob-Moscow, Khujand-Saratov) and four domestic routes (Dushanbe-Konibodom, Qurghon Teppa-Konibodom, Dushanbe-Pakhtaobod and Qurghon Teppa-Kulob).
The total length of rails in Tajikistan is 950 kilometers; of that, 680 kilometers are the main railways. At present there are 31 railway stations in the republic.
