Transport in Armenia

This article considers transport in Armenia. For Soviet transportation, see Transport in the Soviet Union.

Railways
Main articles: South Caucasus Railway, Armenian Railways, and Railway stations in Armenia

Total

825 km (513 mi) in common carrier service; does not include industrial lines

Broad gauge

825 km of 1,520 mm (4 ft 11 27⁄32 in) gauge (825 km electrified) (1995) There is no service south of Yerevan.

City with metro system: Yerevan

Most of the cross-border lines are currently closed due to political problems.[1] However, there are daily inbound and outbound trains connecting Tbilisi and Yerevan. Departing from Yerevan railway station trains connect to both Tbilisi and Batumi. From neighboring Georgia, trains depart to Yerevan from Tbilisi railway station.[2] Within Armenia, new electric trains connect passengers from Yerevan to Armenia's second largest city of Gyumri. The new trains run four times a day and the journey takes approximately two hours.[3]

There is also discussion to establish a rail link between Yerevan and Tehran. Armenia is pursuing funding from the Asian Development Bank to launch construction of this infrastructure project.[4] The completion of the project could establish a major commodities transit corridor and would serve as the shortest transportation route between Europe and the Persian Gulf.[5] In June 2019, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani backed this project and stated that “we want the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to be connected to the Black Sea, and one of the ways to make this happen is through Iran, Armenia and Georgia.”[6]

Yerevan Metro train

Metros

The capital city of Armenia, Yerevan, is serviced by the Yerevan Metro. The system was launched in 1981 and like most former Soviet Metros, its stations are very deep (20–70 meters underground) and intricately decorated with national motifs. The metro runs on a 13.4 kilometres (8.3 mi) line and currently serves 10 active stations. Trains run every five minutes from 6:30 a.m. until 11 p.m. local AMT time. As of 2017, the annual ridership of the metro is 16.2 million passengers.[7] Free wi-fi is available at all stations and some trains.[8]

Buses

International connections

Land borders are open with both Georgia and Iran. Yerevan Central Bus Station, also known as Kilikia Bus Station is the main bus terminal in Yerevan with buses connecting to both internal and international destinations. There are daily bus connections between Yerevan and Tbilisi and Yerevan and Tehran.[9] Approximately three times daily, buses depart from Yerevan Central Bus Station to Stepanakert, the capital of the partially recognized state of Artsakh.[10] There are also scheduled bus routes which connect Yerevan with Kyiv, Moscow, Saint Petersburg as well as several other cities across Russia.[11] It is also possible to connect to Chișinău Moldova, Minsk Belarus and other cities in Eastern Europe from Yerevan through connecting bus routes via Georgia and Ukraine.[12] In addition, there is a once a week bus service to Istanbul via Georgia.[13] In June 2019, a new bus route from Baghdad to Yerevan via Iran began.[14]

Local connections
See also: Trolleybuses in Yerevan

The Armenian bus network connects all major cities and towns and many villages throughout the country. In larger cities and towns such as Yerevan, Gyumri, Vanadzor and Armavir, bus stations are equipped with a waiting room and a ticket office, in other towns bus stations may not have shelters. Most of the routes are operated by GAZelle minivans with a capacity of 15 passengers, some routes are operated by soviet bus producer LiAZ (Russia). Yerevan itself has a large integrated bus network, with a newly acquired bus fleet, passengers are able to connect from one end of the city to the other. Wi-fi is available on most city buses.[8] Despite this, buses often have difficulty meeting the demand for capacity, mainly in Yerevan, where vehicles are typically overcrowded. There are no night services between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. There is no ticket system in the country, passengers pay in cash to drivers. Passengers on the national bus network pay before boarding, passengers on the Yerevan bus network pay after the ride, while leaving the vehicle. Timetables and fares are published on Transport for Armenia.

From Yeritasardakan metro station in downtown Yerevan, travelers can take the 201 airport shuttle which goes directly to Zvartnots International Airport, which takes approximately 20 minutes from the city center.[15]

Roadways
The E-road network in Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan. However, the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan is closed due to strained relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Main article: Roads in Armenia

Since independence, Armenia has been developing its internal highway network. The "North-South Road Corridor Investment Program" is a major infrastructure project which aims at connecting the southern border of Armenia with its northern by means of a 556 km-long Meghri-Yerevan-Bavra highway. It is a major US$1.5 billion infrastructure project funded by the Asian Development Bank, European Investment Bank and the Eurasian Development Bank. When completed, the highway will provide access to European countries via the Black Sea. It could also eventually interconnect the Black Sea ports of Georgia with the major ports of Iran, thus positioning Armenia in a strategic transport corridor between Europe and Asia.[3][16] Armenia is pursuing further loans from China as part of the Belt and Road Initiative to complete the north–south highway.[4]

Armenia connects to European road networks via the International E-road network through various routes such as; European route E117, European route E691, European route E001 and European route E60. Armenia also connects to the Asian Highway Network through routes AH81, AH82 and AH83.

The number of insured registered cars in Armenia has grown from 390,457 in 2011 to 457,878 in 2015.[17]

Total

8,140 km
World Ranking: 112

Paved

7,700 km (including 1,561 km of expressways)

Unpaved

0 km (2006 est.)

Pipelines

Natural gas 3,838 km (2017)

Ports and harbors

Cargo shipments to landlocked Armenia are routed through ports in Georgia and Turkey.

Airports
Zvartnots International Airport
Zvartnots International Airport main concourse.
See also: List of airports in Armenia, List of the busiest airports in Armenia, and List of airlines of Armenia

Air transportation in Armenia is the most convenient and comfortable means of getting into the country. There are large international airports that accept both external and domestic flights throughout the Republic. As of 2020, 11 airports operate in Armenia, however, only Yerevan's Zvartnots International Airport and Gyumri's Shirak Airport are in use for commercial aviation. There are 3 additional civil airports currently under reconstruction in Armenia, including Syunik Airport, Stepanavan Airport and Goris Airport. The main Armenian airlines in operation are Armenia Aircompany, Atlantis European Airways, and Armenia Airways.

There are plenty of air connections between Yerevan and other regional cities, including Athens, Barcelona, Beirut, Berlin, Bucharest, Brussels, Damascus, Doha, Dubai, Istanbul, Kyiv, Kuwait City, London, Milan, Minsk, Moscow, Paris, Prague, Riga, Rome, Tehran, Tel-Aviv, Tbilisi, Vienna, Venice and Warsaw, as well as daily connections to most major cities within the CIS region.[9] Statistics show that the number of tourists arriving in the country by air transportation increases yearly.[18] In 2018, passenger flow at the two main airports of Armenia reached a record high of 2,856,673 million people.[19] In December 2019, yearly passenger flow exceeded 3,000,000 million people for the first time in Armenia's history.[20]

In November 2019, the creation of a Free Route Airspace (FRA) between Armenia and Georgia was announced. The process has been carried out through the joint efforts of the General Department of Civil Aviation of Armenia, the Georgian Civil Aviation Administration and Eurocontrol. The Free Route Airspace between the two South Caucasus countries will increase flights to around 40,000 annually.[21]

Country comparison to the world: 153

Airports - with paved runways

Total: 10

Over 3,047 m (9,900 feet): 2
1,524 to 2,437 m (7,920 feet): 2
914 to 1,523 m (4,950 feet): 4
Under 914 m: 2 (as of 2008)

Airports - with unpaved runways

Total: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 0
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 0 (as of 2008)

Heliports

Armenia maintains a number of both military and civilian heliports. The main military heliport is located on the premises of Erebuni Airport in Yerevan. Meanwhile, the company Armenian Helicopters, based at Zvartnots Airport in Yerevan, offers charter flights within Armenia and to certain neighboring countries, including Georgia, Russia and Turkey.[22][23] Helicopter services are delivered with the US-made Robinson R66 and the European AIRBUS EC130T2 choppers. Flights can be carried out as scheduled or individual routes.[24]

Wings of Tatev aerial tramway

Aerial tramways

The Wings of Tatev is currently the world's longest reversible aerial tramway which holds the record for longest non-stop double track cable car and is located in the town of Halidzor.

In October 2019, it was announced that investors were interested in the creation of an aerial tramway in the capital, Yerevan.[25]

International transport agreements

Armenia cooperates in various international transport related organizations and agreements including the following:[26]

See also

References
  1. "Armenia looks to the private sector". Railway Gazette International. January 2008.
  2. Lush, Emily (June 1, 2020). "How to Travel by Overnight Sleeper Train from Tbilisi to Yerevan (or Vice Versa)".
  4. "Interview: BRI creates increasing cooperation opportunities for Armenia, China: expert - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com.
  5. FZE, Rasia. "Rasia Announces Achievement of Key Milestone for Southern Armenia Railway in Meeting with Armenian Prime Minister". www.prnewswire.com.
  6. "Tehran determined in deepening relations with Yerevan". armenpress.com.
  8. "Public Transport in Armenia – Rent Yerevan".
  9. Planet, Lonely. "Flights & getting there in Armenia". Lonely Planet.
  10. Blair, Jonny (November 2, 2013). "World Borders: How to Get from Armenia to Nagorno Karabakh (Tegh to Berdadzor)".
  11. "Bus station Yerevan, timetable and tickets → GetByBus". getbybus.com.
  12. Ltd, rome2rio Pty. "Yerevan to Minsk - 6 ways to travel via train, plane, bus, and car". Rome2rio.
  13. "Yerevan Central Bus Station". www.tripfinger.com.
  15. Ltd, Milestone. "Timetable from Yerevan, Zvartnots International Airport to Yeritasardakan". Transport for Armenia.
  16. "Home | North-South Road Program State Non-Commercial Organization". northsouth.am.
  17. "Number of insured cars in Armenia has grown from 390,457 in 2011 to 457,878 in 2015".
  18. "Convenient Ways to Travel through Armenia | Transport, Airports and Railway Communication". www.orangesmile.com.
  19. "Passenger flow in Armenia's airports increases". Armenpress. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  20. "Yerevan airport records 3,000,000 yearly passenger flow first time ever". Armenpress. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  21. "Armenia, Georgia launch joint Free Route Airspace". Public Radio of Armenia. November 8, 2019.
  22. "Armenia to introduce commercial helicopter services". armenpress.am.
  25. "Sketches of new subway station and ropeway construction in Yerevan to be presented to public". armenpress.am.
  26. "International organisations". Ministry of Foreign Affairs. October 2018.
  27. "Armenia". EASA.

 This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook document: "2009 edition".

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