The Asian Development Bank says it will loan Turkmenistan US$125 million to help finance the construction of a railway linking Central Asia with the Persian Gulf. The bank said Tuesday the funds will go toward installing power, signalling, and telecommunication systems on Turkmenistan's section of the 934-kilometre (579-mile) railway corridor. Construction of Turkmenistan's 311-kilometre (193-mile) portion of the track itself will be financed by the government and the Islamic Development Bank. The line is expected to cut the current distance for transporting goods between energy-rich Central Asia and Persian Gulf ports by about 680 kilometres (422 miles). ADB project officer Shakeel Khan says the line will become the region's main route for transporting oil, agricultural products and textiles.