Turkmenistan: TRANSPORTATION AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

TRANSPORTATION AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS



Overview: Access to the Caspian Sea makes Turkmenistan’s transportation situation less difficult than that of other Central Asian republics. In the early 2000s, substantial work was done to restore infrastructure, which was in general disrepair, and to extend travel routes. Major new highway and railroad projects were scheduled for completion in 2006.



Roads: In 2001 Turkmenistan had an estimated 22,000 kilometers of roads, of which about 18,000 kilometers were paved. One major highway runs westward from Mary, along the Iranian border through Ashgabat and then to Turkmenbashi on the Caspian Sea; a second runs northwestward from the Afghanistan border through Turkmenabat, along the Uzbekistan border to Dashhowuz. In the early 2000s, major road-building projects improved sections of the highway connecting Ashgabat with Turkmenbashi and Mary A major highway between Ashgabat and Dashhowuz, scheduled for completion in 2006, is part of a plan to link the capital with major points in all five provinces.



Railroads: In 2004 Turkmenistan had 2,440 kilometers of railroad line, most of which runs close to the northern and southern borders. In 1996 a rail line was opened to Iran, providing a link to the Persian Gulf. A 560-kilometer line is scheduled for completion between Ashgabat and Dashhowuz in 2006. Urban transportation systems are being upgraded in Ashgabat, Dashhowuz, and Mary.



Ports: The main port at Turkmenbashi on the Caspian Sea is being renovated. Main shipping lines cross the Caspian to Astrakhan in Russia and Baku in Azerbaijan. Smaller Caspian ports are Alaja, Chekelen, and Ekarem. Plans call for expansion of Ekarem into a second major Caspian port. In 2005 Turkmenistan had seven merchant marine vessels of more than 1,000 tons displacement, of which three were cargo ships, two were oil tankers, one was for refrigerated cargo, and one was a combination ore and oil ship.



Inland Waterways: The main waterways are the Amu Darya River, which runs along the northern border, and the Garagum Canal, which runs from east to west from the Amu Darya near the Afghanistan border through Mary and Ashgabat to Turkmenbashi. The 1,400-kilometer canal, designed mainly for irrigation, is navigable for 450 kilometers from its Caspian terminus. Because water is withdrawn for irrigation, the Amu Darya is navigable only about 250 kilometers downstream from the Afghanistan border to Turkmenabat.



Civil Aviation and Airports: In 2003 Turkmenistan had an estimated 53 airports, of which 23 had paved runways and one (at Ashgabat) had a runway longer than 3,000 meters. In the mid-1990s, the Ashgabat airport was enlarged and modernized. Smaller international airports are located at Dashhowuz and Turkmenabad. Air travel within Turkmenistan on the national carrier, Turkmenistan Airlines, often is unreliable. Flights are available from Ashgabat to Germany, Britain, Russia, Turkey, India, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan.

Pipelines: In 2004 Turkmenistan had 6,549 kilometers of natural gas pipelines and 1,395 kilometers of oil pipelines. The critical export of natural gas has depended on outmoded Soviet-era pipelines. Since the stabilization of Afghanistan in 2003–4, Turkmenistan has sought international funding for the construction of a new pipeline across that country, linking domestic gas lines with ports in Pakistan and reducing dependence on Russian lines. Construction, which would take seven years, could start in 2006.



Telecommunications: Turkmenistan’s long-term (through 2010) economic development plan includes substantial upgrading of the telecommunications system, which has been evaluated as providing poor service. Siemens of Germany and Alcatel of France have been active in this project since 1993. In 2003 some 381,300 main telephone lines were in operation. In 2004 an estimated 52,000 cellular telephones were in use, compared with 8,000 in 2002. International connections are limited. In 2000 the government assumed a monopoly of Internet service provision by revoking all private licenses. In 2005 Turkmenistan had an estimated 36,000 Internet users.