South Caucasus railways’ administration finds night work of Yerevan’s central railway station unreasonable

YEREVAN, November 21. /ARKA/. South Caucasus Railways’ administration finds the night work of Yerevan’s central railway station unreasonable, the company’s press office said in its Monday’s press release issued in response to “We Won’t Keep Silence” civic initiative’s report.

“The railway station closes its doors at 20:30 on odd days because there are no rail runs at this time in this season,” the press release says. “On even days the railway station is open until 23:00 because of departure of Yerevan-Tbilisi-Yerevan international train at 22:30. Besides, an assistant station-master is in the station’s territory at night.”

The South Caucasus Railways finds it irrelevant to compared Yerevan railway station with world railway stations.

“We remind to unaware people that so called world railway stations carry out transit fiction, and therefore they have intensive passenger traffic,” the company said in its press release. “That is why they operate round-the-clock. Taking into account closed borders, the fact that the South Caucasus Railways Company operates passenger transportation in only one, Georgian direction and scant passenger traffic between Armenia’s capital and provinces, the company found it unreasonable to keep the station open at night.”

The press release also says that the company is now working out a concept of development of Yerevan’s central railway station into one of the city’s cultural and tourist centers.

The company says that it would welcome proposals from youth organizations and would consider any constructive proposal of “We Won’t Keep Silence” civic initiative, if any.

South Caucasus Railways, a 100-percent subsidiary of Russian Railways, runs Armenian Railway. Armenian Railways was handed over to the South Caucasus Railways on February 13, 2008 for 30-year concession management with a right to prolong the management term for other 10 years.-0—