Infrastructure

Home page

Infrastructure

Marmaray tunnel strategically important for Turkey and Azerbaijan unveiled

29 October 2013 17:03 (UTC +04:00)

Baku – APA-Economics. Marmaray underwater railway tunnel, which links Asia and Europe, passing under the Bosphorus Strait has been unveiled.

APA-Economics reports quoting Hurriyet newspaper that the event was attended by Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, other Turkish officials, MPs, as well as Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, President of Somali Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta.

Azerbaijani Minister of Transport Ziya Mammadov, Georgian Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development George Kvirikashvili, Bulgarian Minister of Transport, Information Technologies and Communication Danail Papazov, Moldovan Minister of Transports & Road Infrastructure Vasile Botnari, Transport and Infrastructure Minister, of Kosovo Edmond Haxhinasto, Spanish Minister of Agriculture Ana María Pastor Julian, Romanian Minister of Transport Ramona-Nicole Manescu and Foreign Minister George Ciamba, Japan Deputy Minister of Transport and Tourism Tsuyoshi Takagi, Kazakh Deputy Minister Azat Bekturov, German Undersecretary the Minister of Transportation, Public Works & Urbanization Jan Muecke, Pakistani Undersecretary of the Minister of Ports & Navy Rukhsana Rehman also attended the event.

Japan PM offered to establish express railway line from Tokyo to Istanbul.

Noting that not only Tokyo-Istanbul railway line, but also Tokyo-Istanbul-London can be established, Erdogan said that Marmaray tunnel is not the project of the century, but the project of centuries and it’s significant for the 90th anniversary of Republic of Turkey. He also noted that this tunnel is so important for regional and global economy.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul stressed that a project which was desired 150 years ago has been implemented.

The rail system is expected to have a capacity of one and a half million people a day, connecting the two continents in about four minutes.

This railway will also play a significant role in transportation of cargos through Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway to Europe.