DUSHANBE, October 7, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Rail passenger traffic is reportedly declining on Tajik network.

The Tajik Railways head Amonullo Hukumatullo told reporters in Dushanbe on October 7 that in January-August 2009, Tajik Railways has carried 505,200 passengers, which is 99,700 passengers fewer than in the same period of last year.  Over the same period of last year, Tajik Railways carried some 605,000 passengers.

Hukumatullo attributed decrease in the rail passenger traffic to impact of the global financial crisis on Russia’s economy.

“Along with other spheres, the financial crisis has seriously hit the labor market in Russia that resulted in the number of Tajik labor migrants going to Russia decreasing,” said the Tajik Railways head, “As a result of this, the rail passenger traffic has decreased as well.”

According to him, labor migrants constitute some 99 percent of passengers of Tajik Railways