Armenia takes into account the construction of the railway line to Iran. The Transport minister Vahan Martirosyan said that even if the neighboring country is building a railway from Iran, this does not mean that Armenia should not start and that such a project is not contemporary. As per the minister, this is one of the potential routes that can compete with the cargo transport roads that lead from the Persian Gulf and Iran to Europe, via the Black Sea.
“According to very rough estimates, the construction cost [of this railway] is estimated at USD 3 billion (…). [But] the future investor shall give the final appraisal. The routes toward connecting the existing railway along the [Lake] Sevan shore, or Ararat Valley, [of Armenia] are being discussed. At this moment, the road passing along Sevan is preferable,” the minister said.
The agreement on the construction of the rail link was approved by Armenian and Iranian governments in 2009. In 2012, the Dubai-based Rasia FZE Investment Company was granted a 50-year concession by the Armenian government to build and manage the 305-km railway from Armenia to Iran, to be named the Southern Armenian Railway (SAR).
By late 2013 Rasia FZE developed a feasibility study for the project, estimated to cost USD 3.5 billion. The high cost is explained by mountainous terrain through which it is supposed to pass. Specifically, the 305 km-long railway will have 19.6 km-long 64 bridges and 60 tunnels of 102.3 kilometers.
Iran-Armenia rail link is estimated to be completed in 6 years
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