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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Turkmenistan
Index
The current government has an aggressive program aimed at developing a
transport infrastructure both within the republic and to the outside world
(see Foreign Trade; Foreign Policy, this ch.). The highest priorities of
this program are railroads and interstate gas pipelines. The capabilities
of the various components of Turkmenistan's transport system to carry
freight are indicated by the following percentages: railroads 37.4
percent, highways 56.1, pipelines 4.4, and internal waterways 2.0. In the
early 1990s, air transport accounted for only 0.02 percent of total
freight.
Railroads
Turkmenistan inherited from the Soviet Union 2,120 kilometers of
railways, all 1,000-millimeter gauge, a length insufficient to serve even
the current economy of the republic. In addition, it received 13,000
highly depreciated railway cars, outdated signaling and communications
systems, and deteriorating depots. The Ashgabat line of the Central Asian
Railway has been especially neglected and poorly administered. In 1993 the
State Railway Administration assumed responsibility for the railroad
system, and moved immediately to join the International Union of
Railroads. Membership in this organization will alleviate the problem of
standardization created by Turkmenistan's wider Soviet-gauge rails and
rolling stock, which do not match the specifications of non-CIS neighbors.
The primary railroad line in Turkmenistan is the
Turkmenbashy-Ashgabat-Chärjew Line, which links Turkmenistan with
Uzbekistan and European countries. It was built in the 1880s as a military
line to facilitate Russian maneuvers in the "Great Game" played
with the British Empire over dominance of Central Asia. Other major lines
are the Mary-Gushgy Line and the Bukhoro-Kerki-Termez Line (via the Chärjew
Line), both of which provide transport to the Afghani border, while
smaller branch lines such as the Nebitdag-Vyshka railroad are used to
transport oil, workers, and supplies.
Plans call for building 1,000 kilometers of new rail lines, improving
signaling and communications, reconstructing depots, and computerizing
operations. One priority in railroad development is the construction or
expansion of branch lines and links with Turkey via Iran; in the
mid-1990s, new lines were underway at Saragt, Kerki, Kernay, Kulisol,
Gyzylgaya, and Gyzyletrek, some of which will be combined and linked to
the West Kazakstan Line along the Caspian Sea. Efforts also are being made
to overhaul and acquire rolling stock.
Data as of March 1996
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