{"id":212451,"date":"2025-05-07T18:07:08","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T08:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=62215"},"modified":"2025-05-07T18:07:08","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T08:07:08","slug":"turkiye-and-armenia-consider-reopening-kars-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=212451","title":{"rendered":"T\u00fcrkiye and Armenia consider reopening Kars line"},"content":{"rendered":"

Strained relations may become slightly less strained between T\u00fcrkiye and Armenia. There are no functioning border crossings between the two countries, but a first one could open relatively soon. That would be a rail crossing, as part of the currently defunct line between Armenian Gyumri and Turkish Kars. Yerevan and Ankara are looking into its reopening.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>The Gyumri – Kars line could be an important one for traffic along the Middle Corridor. Currently, all such traffic transits Azerbaijan, Georgia and then into T\u00fcrkiye. The Gyumri – Kars line could add an alternative route to the list, shortly transiting Georgia before heading down into Armenia. Afterwards, trains would cross the Turkish border and end up in Kars, where all trains from Georgia into T\u00fcrkiye are now also going via the BTK line<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For Armenia, the line would have a number of benefits. It gets to improve its relations with Ankara in times of geopolitical pressure, boost regional connectivity and trade with Europe via Turkish rail.<\/p>\n

A year to completion<\/h2>\n

“The railway on the Gyumri – T\u00fcrkiye border section needs rehabilitation. According to the preliminary assessment, which was given with the support of USAID, within the framework of the Crossroads of Peace project, the total cost of launching the railway will be 32,4 million US dollars,” the Armenian ministry of infrastructure said.<\/p>\n

The ministry believes that a restart of the Armenia section of the railway would take around a year. It could not comment on the state of railway infrastructure on the Turkish side of the border.<\/p>\n