- Armenian Railway
Armenian Railway is the national rail operator in
Armenia . The km to mi|845|abbr=yes, RailGauge|1520 gauge network is electrified at 3 kV DC.The operating environment has deteriorated since the collapse of the
Soviet Union . According to theWorld Bank , Armenian Railways is in dramatic need of investments, including replacement ofrolling stock , rehabilitation of the main line betweenYerevan and the Georgian border, renewal of electrification, and bridge reconstruction. Rail transport is slow and unreliable, and traffic remains low compared to European countries with similar network, amounting to only 2.6 million tons of freight and 0.85 million passengers in 2004. [cite web | title= Armenia | publisher =World Bank | date=2006-03-06 | accessdate = 2007-09-08 | url = http://go.worldbank.org/V155UJ9TM0]Concession
In 2007 the government called tenders for a 30-year concession to modernise and operate Armenian Railways, expecting to award a contract in 2008. RITES and
Russian Railways qualified to bid, but the Indian company withdrew. RZD was the only bidder and has set up South Caucasian Railway as a subdiary to run the railway. [cite news | title=Armenia confirms rail concession award | publisher = "Railway Gazette International " | date=2008-01-18 | url = http://www.railwaygazette.com/news_view/article/2008/01/8090/armenia_confirms_rail_concession_award.html] On the 1st of June 2008 South Caucasus Railways (SCR) has officially started business operations under a concession agreement to manage Armenian Railways. In this connection, by 1 June 2008, SCR, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Russian Railways, received property owned by Armenian Railways consisting of 2,000 freight cars, 58 passenger coaches, 85 locomotives and 30 electric trains. All 4,300 employees employed by Armenian Railways have retained their jobs. The concession agreement was concluded for 30 years, with a right of extension for another 20 years after the first 20 years of operation. [cite news | title=South Caucasus Railways (SCR) has officially started business operations | publisher = "Russian Railways " | date=2008-06-04 | url = http://eng.rzd.ru/wps/portal/rzdeng?STRUCTURE_ID=15&layer_id=3044&id=101961]International Links
* Georgia - yes - same gauge
* Turkey - closed - break of gauge
* Iran - indirect - closed
* Azerbaijan - closedMost of the cross-border lines are currently closed due to political problems. [cite news | title=Armenia looks to the private sector | publisher = "Railway Gazette International " | date=January 2008 | url = http://www.railwaygazette.com/news_view/article/2008/01/8075/armenia_looks_to_the_private_sector.html ]See also
*
Transport in Armenia References
External links
* [http://www.spyur.am/arway.htm Armenian Railway closed joint stock company]
* [http://www.railfaneurope.net/list/armenia/armenia_arm.html Armenian Railways at RailfanEurope]
* [http://www.armeniarailconcession.com/ Armenian Railways Concession Website]
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