Armenian Railway
Encyclopedia
The Armenian Railways are the national rail operator in Armenia
. The 845 km (525.1 mi), gauge
network is electrified
at 3 kV DC
.
The operating environment has deteriorated since the collapse of the Soviet Union
. According to the World Bank
, Armenian Railways is in dramatic need of investments, including replacement of rolling stock
, rehabilitation of the main line between Yerevan
and the Georgian
border, renewal of electrification, and bridge reconstruction. Rail transport is slow and unreliable, and traffic remains low compared to European countries with similar network, amounting to only 2.6 million tons of freight and 0.85 million passengers in 2004.
(RZD) qualified to bid but RITES, the Indian company, withdrew. RZD was the only bidder and has set up South Caucasian Railway as a subdiary to run the railway.
On the 1st of June 2008 South Caucasus Railways (SCR) has officially started business operations under a concession agreement to manage Armenian Railways. In this connection, by 1 June 2008, SCR, a wholly owned subsidiary of Russian Railways, received property owned by Armenian Railways consisting of 2,000 freight cars, 58 passenger coaches, 85 locomotives and 30 electric trains. All 4,300 employees employed by Armenian Railways have retained their jobs. The concession agreement was concluded for 30 years, with a right of extension for another 20 years after the first 20 years of operation.
- / Turkey
- closed - break of gauge
-/
Most of the cross-border lines are currently closed due to political problems.
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
. The 845 km (525.1 mi), gauge
Rail gauge
Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...
network is electrified
Railway electrification system
A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
at 3 kV DC
Direct current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
.
The operating environment has deteriorated since the collapse of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. According to the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
, Armenian Railways is in dramatic need of investments, including replacement of rolling stock
Rolling stock
Rolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...
, rehabilitation of the main line between Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
and the Georgian
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
border, renewal of electrification, and bridge reconstruction. Rail transport is slow and unreliable, and traffic remains low compared to European countries with similar network, amounting to only 2.6 million tons of freight and 0.85 million passengers in 2004.
Concession
In 2007 the government called tenders for a 30-year concession to modernise and operate Armenian Railways, expecting to award a contract in 2008. RITES and Russian RailwaysRussian Railways
The Russian Railways , is the government owned national rail carrier of the Russian Federation, headquartered in Moscow. The Russian Railways operate over of common carrier routes as well as a few hundred kilometers of industrial routes, making it the second largest network in the world exceeded...
(RZD) qualified to bid but RITES, the Indian company, withdrew. RZD was the only bidder and has set up South Caucasian Railway as a subdiary to run the railway.
On the 1st of June 2008 South Caucasus Railways (SCR) has officially started business operations under a concession agreement to manage Armenian Railways. In this connection, by 1 June 2008, SCR, a wholly owned subsidiary of Russian Railways, received property owned by Armenian Railways consisting of 2,000 freight cars, 58 passenger coaches, 85 locomotives and 30 electric trains. All 4,300 employees employed by Armenian Railways have retained their jobs. The concession agreement was concluded for 30 years, with a right of extension for another 20 years after the first 20 years of operation.
International Links
Azerbaijan - closed - same gauge Georgia - yes - same gauge Iran - via Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan enclave - closed - break of gaugeBreak-of-gauge
With railways, a break-of-gauge occurs where a line of one gauge meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock cannot run through without some form of conversion between gauges, and freight and passengers must otherwise be transloaded...
- / Turkey
Rail transport in Turkey
Turkey has a well-developed, state-owned railway system built to standard gauge which falls under the remit of the Ministry of Transport and Communication. The primary rail carrier is the Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları which is responsible for all long-distance and cross-border freight...
- closed - break of gauge
Break-of-gauge
With railways, a break-of-gauge occurs where a line of one gauge meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock cannot run through without some form of conversion between gauges, and freight and passengers must otherwise be transloaded...
-/
Most of the cross-border lines are currently closed due to political problems.