Thursday, May 31, 2012 -
Turkmen state railway authorities agreed this week to purchase 300 freight cars from a British firm as part of the country’s drive to expand its rail industry.
London-listed company Stock Plaza LLP will provide the wagons for shipments of grain, cement and, minerals.
Stock Plaza will soon sign the contract with Turkmenistan’s railway transport ministry, following a corresponding presidential order by Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the Bernama news agency reported.
Turkmenistan previously purchased 250 self-unloading wagons from the company in July 2011.
The Turkmen leader is keen on developing the material-technical foundations of the rail industry, along with raising the quality of freight transportation.
Authorities in Ashgabat enacted a rail transport development master plan earlier this year that envisages accelerating development of the sector through job creation and economic diversification.
The project, which will last from 2012 to 2016, will see the laying a number of rail tracks between major cities, construction of a railway bridge over the Amu Darya river, and several large related infrastructures.
In January 2012, Turkmenistan also finalized a bilateral initiative with neighboring Afghanistan to build a border rail link that will connect the South Asian country with the Central Asian countries and boost interregional trade.