By Aynur Jafarova

The construction of the Atamyrat-Imamnazar railway line, which is part of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan railway project will start in June and will be put into operation in June 2015, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov's decree says.

According to the decree, the Turkmen Ministry of Railway Transport will act as a customer and a general contractor for the project.

The project also includes the construction of additional facilities and two bridges along the railway.

According to the document, the date of delivery corresponds to the General Plan of Turkmen Railway Transport Development for 2012-2016.

A solemn ceremony for launching the construction was held in Turkmenistan's Lebap region in early June with participation of the presidents of three countries - Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

The project is being implemented within the tripartite memorandum of understanding signed in Ashgabat in March 2013.

The project complies with the intergovernmental framework agreement envisaging the construction of the 85-kilometer railway line Atamyrat-Imamnazar and the 38-kilometer line between Akina and Andkhoy in Afghanistan which was signed in May 2011 during the official visit of Afghan President Hamid Karzai to Turkmenistan.

Earlier an Afghan delegation, which attended a meeting of the special coordinating intergovernmental group on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan railway project in Ashgabat, offered Turkmenistan to construct the Imamnazar-Akina railway line on the Afghan territory.

Implementation of the joint infrastructure projects will be a powerful impetus to further development of the Afghan economy and successful solution of important social issues, including those related to employment.

Moreover, the implementation of this project will contribute to the diversification of Turkmen and Tajik transport corridors, as well as usage of the transport and communication network of the Central Asian, Caspian and Black Sea regions.