At present, investments totaling USD 953.2 million have been attracted for ongoing projects of the transport complex of Turkmenistan, of which 77.5% of the total volume of investment projects have been mastered. This was announced by Dovran Saburov, the chairman of the Turkmen Airlines Agency, speaking at the International Conference “International Transport and Transit Corridors: Connectivity and Development” ITTC 2024, which was held in Ashgabat at the end of November.
Saburov noted that in order to attract funds aimed at the development of transport infrastructure, Turkmenistan successfully cooperates with such financial institutions as: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; Asian Development Bank; Japan International Cooperation Agency; Export-Import Bank of China; Islamic Development Bank; OPEC International Development Fund; Tokyo branch of ING Bank N.V.; Abu Dhabi Development Fund and others.
The speaker also noted the role of public investments in the development of sustainable transport infrastructure.
“Thanks to the investment projects of the Government of Turkmenistan, at present, loans totaling US $ 3,647.4 million have been provided to enterprises of the transport complex of Turkmenistan under government guarantees,” he said.
By transport sector, lending is distributed as follows:
- Turkmen Railways – US $ 1,976.5 million;
- Turkmen Airlines – US $ 1,168.2 million;
- Turkmen motor transport agency – US $ 360.7 million;
- Maritime and river transport agency – US $ 142 million.
In addition to providing loans under state guarantees, the Government has made direct capital investments in various transport complex projects totaling US $ 4,639.1 million, including:
- Turkmen Airlines – US $ 2,939.4 million;
- Turkmen Railways – US $ 1,517.8 million;
- Turkmen motor transport – US $ 181.9 million.
Energy efficient transport projects
In his speech, Saburov highlighted several projects for the introduction of energy-efficient transport systems in Turkmenistan.
A clear example of the successful implementation of such projects is the use of electric vehicles and electric buses for public transport in the city of Arkadag.
The next important project for the development of transport infrastructure is the development and implementation of intelligent transport systems to improve traffic management, for example, traffic automation, the use of artificial intelligence for traffic management, which will significantly increase the efficiency of the transport network and reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
According to Saburov, currently, Turkmenistan is successfully implementing a satellite tracking system (GPS) for urban public vehicles, such as taxis and buses, as well as a GPS system installed on long-distance cargo vehicles, which allows real-time tracking of their exact location for effective planning and management of transportation.
Transport corridors
Another important stage in the development of transport infrastructure is the creation and development of transport corridors to improve logistics and transport links.
Saburov highlighted the following transport corridors passing through the territory of Turkmenistan: “North-South”, “East-West” and the Southern Transport Corridor.
Turkmenistan plays an important role in the development of the Lapis Lazuli transit corridor, which connects Afghanistan with Türkiye and Europe. In February 2018, the Serkhetabat-Toghundi railway, which is part of this corridor, was launched.
In addition, in September 2024, the opening of the 177-meter Serkhetabat-Torghundi railway bridge took place, and the groundbreaking ceremonies for Serkhetabat-Herat fiber-optic line, the construction of the Torghundi railway station warehouse complex, and the Torghundi-Sanabar railway section.
“The total amount of investments from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan is over US $ 1.5 billion,” Saburov said.
Air services
Turkmenistan is also actively developing its aviation infrastructure. The country is modernizing existing international airports and building new ones.
The opening of new air routes along with simplifying the procedure for obtaining flight clearance in the airspace of Turkmenistan, has stimulated an increase in the number of commercial landings of foreign airlines at Turkmenistan airports by 1.6 times, the number of technical landings by 1.5 times, and the number of overflights of foreign aircraft over the territory of Turkmenistan by 1.6 times.///nCa, 4 December 2024