Rail transport in Armenia
The rail traffic in Armenia is mainly from the formerly state-owned railway companies Harawkowkasjan Jerkatughi performed (HJE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Russian Railways (RZD).
history
The first railway line in Armenia was the line from Tbilisi, opened on December 5, 1899, via Alexandropol (today: Gyumri ) to Kars (then: Russian Empire , today: Turkey ). Since Armenia was then part of the Russian Empire, the railway was laid out in Russian broad gauge with 1524 mm gauge . This was later reduced to 1520 mm. On May 1, 1902, the connection from Alexandropol to Yerevan was added. At the beginning of the 20th century, other routes followed, including connections to Azerbaijan and via Azerbaijan to Iran . At the time of the Soviet Union , the lines in Armenia belonged to the regional railway company Transcaucasian Railway of the Soviet Railway , where they were run as Ереванское отдепение дороги ( Yerivan Branch ).
During the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict , which broke out again in 1988 , the railway connections with Turkey and Azerbaijan were interrupted and not reopened. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the railway lines in Armenia belonged to the state Հայկական երկաթուղի (Haykakan yerkat'ughi / Armenian Railway) from 1991, which was organized in a closed joint-stock company.
The state railway was privatized in 2008 and a 30-year concession was awarded to the Harawkowkasjan Jerkatughi ( South Caucasian Railway ). The railway vehicles were transferred to Harawkowkasjan Jerkatughi , while ownership of the railway infrastructure remained with the Armenian state. The Indian RITES had also applied for the concession, but withdrew their offer.
stretch
Armenian Railway Network
present
In 2017, the operational rail network of Armenia was 694 km long, of which only about 370 km are used. They are:
- the section of the Tbilisi – Yerevan railway line in Armenia from the capital Yerevan to the border with Georgia, where the only still operating Armenian border station , Ayrum , is located.
- The preferred in Armenia section of the railway line Jerewan-jolfa , in the compound Jerewan- Jerasch is traversed exclusively by passenger trains. The continuation of the route in the Armenian Autonomous Republic of Nakhichevan has been interrupted.
- part of the Yerevan – Sotk railway to Wardenis .
Some routes are no longer maintained and operated due to the political situation. These include the following routes:
- Ağstafa – Atarbenian railway line , whose operation beyond the Dilijan station to the Azerbaijani border has ceased and
- the section Nrnadzor – Agarak of the former railway line (Baku) –Ələt – Culfa, located in southern Armenia and isolated from the rest of the Armenian network .
All lines are single-track, electrified with 3 kV direct current and expanded for 23.5 t axle load. The routes are in poor condition due to insufficient construction maintenance. There are many slow speed areas that can only be driven at 30 km / h. 60 km / h is permitted on rehabilitated sections of the route.
future
A feasibility study for the construction of a 316 km long, single-track electrified line, which branches off the existing Yerevan – Wardenis line and leads via Gawar to Meghri in southern Armenia on the border with Iran, is in progress.
Yerevan Metro
In 1981, the Yerevan Metro , the capital's metro system, was opened. A single 13.4 km long route in Russian broad gauge runs from northeast to southwest through the city. Trains of the type Metrowagonmasch 81-717 / 714 are used. An extension to the north is under construction and a second route is planned.
Pioneer railways
Pioneer railways were operated in the cities of Yerevan and Gyumri . The Yerevan children's railway is still operated today, albeit by adults, as a park railway, while the Leninakan children's railway in Gyumri stopped operating after the 1988 Spitak earthquake , which caused the depot to collapse.
Remarks
- ↑ Today the northern section of the Tbilisi – Yerevan railway line .
- ↑ Today the southern section of the Tbilisi – Yerevan railway line .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Asian Development Bank (Ed.): Armenia: Transport Sector Development Strategy . Technical Assistance Consultant's Report. 5.2 Armenian Railways ( adb.org [PDF]).
- ↑ a b 2.4 Armenia Railway Assessment. Digital Logistics Capacity Assessments, accessed November 17, 2018 .
- ↑ Russian RZD becomes operator of the Armenian railway. Russia News, January 16, 2008 .
- ↑ About society. Южно-Кавказская железная дорога (ЮКЖД), accessed November 17, 2018 (Armenian).
- ^ Glyn Williams: Railways in Armenia. 2017 (English).
- ↑ International Business Pubns USA: Global Logistics Assesments Reports Handbook: Strategic Transportation and Customs Information for Selected Countries . Int'l Business Publications, February 15, 2008, ISBN 978-0-7397-6603-3 , p. 45.
- ^ Yerevan metro map, Armenia. Retrieved November 17, 2018 .