ArmInfo.Georgian specialists are assisting their Armenian colleagues in restoring a 2.5-kilometer section of the railroad damaged as a result of the May 26 flood.
Through the joint efforts of specialists from Armenia, Russia and Georgia, work is being carried out to restore the destroyed railway infrastructure. In eliminating the consequences of the flood in the Lori region of Armenia, the South Caucasus Railway company is being actively supported by railway workers from Russia and Georgia.
Georgian railway workers provided rolling stock and their specialists. In particular, these are 30 cars, of which 15 are hopper dispensers, 15 dump cars (dump cars of various types) and a diesel locomotive, as well as 10 mechanics for working with restoration rolling stock.
On behalf of the management of the Russian Railways, 35 specialists of various profiles - track engineers, surveyors, and equipment drivers - have been assigned to the SCR. They are involved in the most problematic destroyed areas of infrastructure and proactively lead restoration teams.
Currently, in addition to about 300 SCR employees, 35 specialists from various departments and companies included in the Russian Railways structure, and 10 employees of the State Railway are involved in restoration work.
At the Akhtala station, specialists restored power lines and communication systems, cleared the station equipment of dirt, and two of the eight damaged areas have already been restored (with limitations). At the Ayrum station, a temporary mechanism has been established for receiving goods that are delivered to Armenia through Georgia - fuel, grain crops, production machinery and equipment.
SCR press secretary Ruben Grdzelyan said that the priority is the supply of gasoline and diesel fuel. Cargo arriving at the station is delivered to its recipients by road transport.
On May 30, at a government meeting, the head of the operational headquarters to overcome the consequences of the natural disaster, the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia Gnel Sanosyan reported that the region's infrastructure had suffered enormous damage. Along the railway line alone, in its various sections, destruction was recorded along 2 kilometers, mainly from Ayrum station to Sanahin station. In addition to the railway itself, substations and power line supports were damaged. It will take a long period of time to restore the railway.
The minister also reported that there are about 20 damaged bridges, the largest of which are the bridges in Sanahin, Akhtala, Ayrum, Karpot and Ashtarak. The bridges in Akhtala and Karpot were especially severely damaged, which cut off 7 settlements, including Alaverdi, from communication with the outside world.