DUSHANBE, October 15, 2008 Asia-Plus – The work on designing domestic rail route from the central part of the country to the Sughd province that would bypass Uzbekistan will be completed in September 2009 and after that, construction of the railway will begin, Abdulaziz Gulahmadov, an official with Tajik Railways, announced at a press conference in Dushanbe yesterday.
According to him, the new rail route will connect the city of Tursunzoda to Khujand via Qaratogh Valley and Shahriston Pass. This rail route will be direct transit within Tajikistan bypassing Uzbekistan, Gulahmadov said.
It to be noted that the present rail route, linking the central and northern parts of the country, Dushanbe-Konibodom, crosses the Uzbek territory.
The Tajik Railways official also noted that they also plan to complete work on designing the rail route linking the central and southern parts of the country before next September. “First of all, it is planned to construct a 55.6-kilometer branch Vahdat-Yovon,” he said.
Gulahmadov added that construction of the railway Dushanbe-Vahdat-Jirgatol would start in the near future.
