News analysis Central Asian rail corridors offer


Railways across central Asia are striving to open up their infrastructure to transit traffic between China and the West. International rail consultant David Brice sheds light on a possible route from China to Europe via Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey which is potentially less costly than other proposed routes and avoids troublesome gauge changes.


N 1996 China’s first rail outlet to the west opened - a single line from Urumqi through the Pass of Druzba to Aktogay in Kazakh stan. This line was quickly double- tracked and further capacity has just been created with the opening in December 2012 of the Zhetygen - Korgas - Jinghe line. Plans are now under development to add further routes through Kyrgyzstan (IRJ January p8) which would provide a line through


I


Central Asia Existing lines


Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan into Iran via the existing gauge change point at Sarakhs. There is a fourth possible


route to the south from Kashgar, again briefly transiting Kyrgyzstan into Tajikistan. This alignment would join the Tajik system and run south across the River Amu Darya to the newly- opened Afghanistan system near Mazar-e-Sharif. Plans are advancing to extend the Afghan system eastwards


through to Herat where it will join the now largely complete Iranian connecting line from Torbat, thus providing onward rail access either south to the Persian Gulf or through Turkey. Turkish links with Europe


are set to improve with the imminent opening of the Marmaray rail tunnel under the Bosphorus. There are also plans to build a new line circumventing Lake Van, however, this is still a long


way off, and a new train ferry recently entered service.


Industrial growth


In addition to aiding Chinese export trade, the driving force for these developments is heavy industrial growth in Urumqi and Kashgar in Western China. Mountainous areas in central Asia, particularly in Tajikistan which has substantial reserves of high


Lines under construction Planned lines


Makat Astrakhan RUSSIA Aralsk


GEORGIA Batumi


Vanadzor Kars Yerevan


TURKEY Van


Fioletovo


AZERBAIJAN Yevlakh


Bautino Gudemes Tbilisi


Aktau Eralievo


Caspian Sea Baku Alyat Turkmenbashi Tabriz Minyaneh IRAQ Sanandaj


Astara Astara


Anzali


Rasht Qazvin


Tehran Hamedan Kermanshah Malayer Qom IRAN Arak Herat 16 IRJ February 2013 Torbat Gorgan Mashhad Turkmenabad Ashkhabad


Sarakhs Mary


Yurgundi Dashoguz Kyzylkiya Bereket TURKMENISTAN Tenge/Uzen S Turkmenbashi


Uchkuduk UZBEKISTAN


Toshkent Bukhara


Samarkand Karshi Dushanbe


Kumkurgan Termez Sheberghan Mazar-e-Sharif Meymaneh AFGHANISTAN Kabul P Beyneu Karakalpakia


Aral Sea


Kungrad Kyzylorda KAZAKHSTAN Shalkarand Zhezkazgan Moyin


Kandyagash S


Turkestan


Taraz


Kokand Angran And


Karam Vahdat TAJ Kulyab


Kurgan-tube Kolkhozabad


Baghlan Kunduz


ARMENIA


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