Yerevan mayor explains delay in construction of new metro station
YEREVAN, December 23. /АРКА/. Tigran Avinyan, the Mayor of Yerevan, provided an explanation regarding the delay in the construction of the new metro station "Ajapnyak" and the reasons behind the redirection of part of its funding.
Initially, it was announced that the construction of the station would commence in 2024, but the timeline was later pushed back to the end of 2025, and subsequently to 2026.
During a meeting of the Yerevan Council of Elders on Tuesday, Anna Avetisyan, a member of the "Mother Armenia" faction, pointed out that the city budget for 2025 was expected to allocate 9.6 billion drams for this initiative. However, this amount was later reduced to 1.4 billion drams, with an additional 2 billion drams added to the 2026 budget proposal.
She questioned Avinyan about the nearly 7 billion dram discrepancy compared to the 2 billion drams.
In his response, Avinyan explained that the construction of the "Ajapnyak" metro station is one of the most challenging projects in the country’s recent history, characterized by a high level of risk. He emphasized that this project will necessitate a significant amount of time.
"The funds designated for the construction of the metro station have been redirected towards the development of the transport sector, specifically for the acquisition of 45 new 12-meter trolleybuses. We expect to receive them by April-May next year,’ Avinyan stated.
Regarding the budget allocations for 2026, he mentioned that the Armenian government needs to make a distinct decision concerning the tender for the construction of the "Ajapnyak" station, incorporating special conditions due to the project's substantial scale, as standard procedures do not guarantee effective oversight of the construction process
"We have proposed this to our government colleagues, and it appears that an agreement has been reached to proceed according to FIDIC principles (International Federation of Consulting Engineers)," Avinyan concluded.
He assured that even though the process is intricate, the "Ajapnyak" station will be constructed just as the Cascade was built.
"An allocation of 2 billion drams has been set aside for engineering and technical oversight, as well as land acquisition. We are discussing a transport hub that is expected to boost metro passenger numbers by 22-25%," Avinyan highlighted.
The Yerevan Metro was established in 1981. Currently, there are 10 metro stations with a total line length of 13.4 km. The metro system carries an average of 515-520 thousand passengers each week.-0-
