DUSHANBE, July 24, 2012, Asia-Plus – Iranian company, Metra, which is conducting feasibility study for construction of a Tajik stretch of the regional rail link connecting China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Iran, has submitted the primary reports for consideration to the Ministry of Transport (MoT), Minister Transport Nizom Hakimov announced at a news conference in Dushanbe on July 24.
“There are some difficulties but I believe that they are surmountable,” said the minister. “The problem is that in our territory the railway will run through a number of important facilities, in particular the Roghun hydroelectric power plant.”
Hakimov said that he met with senior representatives of Iran’s Ministry of Roads and Transportation in Tehran in May this year to discuss that issue. “We, in particular, expressed concern about the slow pace of work of Metra. After that, Metra’s representatives have arrived in Tajikistan and its work has improved.”
According to him, the Metra representatives justified the slow pace of work by saying that some secret maps of Tajikistan were not given to them. “We have met them halfway and after appropriate instructions of the government the maps were made available for them,” said Hakimov. “They must submit the final assessments in the near future and after that we will be engaged in conducting feasibility study of the stretch.”
We will recall that Iran allotted one million U.S. dollars in no-strings aid to Tajikistan for conducting feasibility for construction of a Tajik stretch of the railway link that should connect Kashgar (China) and Herat (Afghanistan).
In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, Tajik Minister of Transport Nizom Hakimov revealed on January 24 this year that Iranian firm Metra has delayed the feasibility study for construction of the Tajik stretch. The Tajik stretch is 392 kilometers in length. The minister said that so far Iranian specialists have submitted only the preliminary reports on separate sections of the Tajik stretch, while they should have submitted the final report. It was recalled that an agreement on conducting the feasibility study was signed in October 2010 and the Iranian company assured to conduct the feasibility study in eight months.
Iran’s Fars News Agency (FNA) reported that Iranian Minister of Road and Urbanization Ali Nikzad voiced Tehran”s willingness to join a railway line which is due to connect China, Tajikistan and Afghanistan. According to FNA, the issue was raised by Nikzad at a meeting with Tajik Minister of Transport Nizom Hakimov in Tehran on May 6.
Nikzad reportedly called on the Tajik official to provide the needed maps for the Iranian company in charge of the feasibility studies of the project in a bid to enable Metra company to wrap of work and present the results by the next three months.
In addition to the rail link, Iran seeks other links with China and the Central Asia, FNA reported. In 2010, Iranian First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi said Iran has made major investments in the transportation sector and is resolved to revive the ancient Silk Road. “The government is resolved to revive the great Silk Road through a high-speed railway link that passes through China, Turkmenistan, Iran, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Europe,” Rahimi said in Iran”s Northeastern city of Sabzevar.
