Construction began in March 2010, but the project stalled when the Turkmen government terminated its contract with Pars Energy, Iran, after it emerged that the 100km line would not be completed by the contractual deadline of December 2012.

In addition to the construction of the railway, the new contract includes the completion of locomotive servicing facilities at Bereket.

The deadline for submission of bids to the ministry is February 14 and the line is expected to open before the end of the year.

The 146km section of the route from Uzen, Kazakhstan, to the Turkmen border near Bolashak, and the 80km section of the line in Iran both opened last year.