Page 25 - bne_newspaper_May_18_2018

Weekly Lists
May 18, 2018 www.intellinews.com I Page 25
bne:
Infrastructure
Russian President Vladimir Putin inaugurates newly built Kerch Strait bridge
Lithuania to restructure state rail company
Russian President Vladimir Putin inaugurated the newly built Kerch Strait bridge that connects the Russian mainland with the annexed Crimea peninsular by driving a truck over the 19km long bridge on May 15. The Russian president got behind the wheel in the cabin of a Kamaz truck to lead a convoy of 35 vehicles across the bridge in
a typical he-man stunt.
The controversial bridge became Europe’s longest bridge and pro- vides direct access to Russia’s mainland. Previously to access the peninsular by land it was necessary to drive through Ukrainian ter- ritory, making the peninsular, annexed by Russia in May 2014,
a logistical nightmare to supply.
The bridge has two layers carrying cars on top and a railway un- derneath. The link is expected to carry 14mn passengers and 13mn tonnes of cargo per year.
Lithuania will divide the state-owned railway company Lietuvos Ge- lezinkeliai (LG) into three separate entities managing the country’s railway infrastructure, passenger transport, and hauling of goods, the government announced on May 16.
The three entities will remain managed by LG holding company and will remain state-owned because of the railways’ strategic impor- tance for Lithuania, the government said. Restructuring LG will, however, allow more efficient management, according to Vilnius.
The restructuring of LG is also in line with the EU standards that require an independent railways infrastructure manager, the com- pany said in a statement on its website.
Anxieties are mounting among Istanbul inhabitants over the lack of public consultation on a $16bn plan to ease shipping traffic on the Bosphorus strait by digging a 45-km (28-mile) canal that will turn the western side of the Turkish city into an island.
Kanal Istanbul has publicly been referred to by Erdogan as his "crazy project". It is one of the most ambitious of his infrastructure mega-schemes, which also include constructing the world’s largest airport, outside Istanbul.
Kanal Istanbul has critics including Turkey’s national architects association who have warned that it will mean the destruction of an 8,500-year-old archaeological site and cause widespread environmental damage.
Istanbul residents concerned over Erdogan’s “crazy” canal plan