Armenia getting ready to open Turkish-Armenian railways

Minister of Transport of Armenia Gurgen Sarkisian stated on November 11 that Armenia is ready to begin cross-border railway transport as soon as the border with Turkey is opened. Rehabilitation of motorways is also being undertaken.

The main problem in connecting the two railways is the width of the track. Armenia uses Russian standard gauge but Turkey’s track is European standard gauge. Russian gauge is a bit wider, so there are two solutions: either the trains’ wheel axles should be changed in Armenia or transported cargo should be reloaded into Turkish carriages.

It is also being suggested that Armenia will buy 120 railway carriages.