OSCE Centre organizes workshop on rail operations and maintenance in Turkmenistan
ASHGABAD, 16 November 2008 - Railroad track geometry, operations and maintenance were the focus of an OSCE-sponsored training workshop that ended in Ashgabad today.
Organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabad in partnership with Turkmenistan's Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Railway Transport, the four-day event is a follow-up to a workshop on railway safety and infrastructure planning, which was held in Ashgabad in September. Both were held as a part of an OSCE Centre project to improve the security and safety of Turkmenistan's railway network within the framework of the North-South transport corridor.
"The OSCE is committed to facilitating the transfer of technical expertise and international best practices in the area of rail transport security," said Ambassador Ibrahim Djikic, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabad. "Turkmenistan is playing an important role in the development of the North-South transport corridor, which will contribute to the expansion of trade and economic activity in the region."
At the workshop 15 engineers and specialists, representing railway operations and maintenance units, shared technical expertise and learned about best international practices in the areas of railroad track geometry and maintenance planning; transport co-operation in the OSCE area; and safety of railroad vehicles and tracks.
The project concludes in December with a study tour for specialists from Turkmenistan to view the operations of the Austrian Federal Railways.