A joint venture has been established between Azerbaijan and Georgia to enhance the operational efficiency of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway

The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway represents the most crucial element of the Middle Corridor. To guarantee the railway's functionality, Azerbaijan Railways CJSC and the Georgian company BTKI Railways (the operator of the Georgian section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway corridor) have formed a joint venture.

Rovshan Rustamov, Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, provided an account of the establishment of the new structure. According to him, the new enterprise will be engaged in the operation and management of the infrastructure of the Marabda-Kartsakhi section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line (BTC), as well as freight traffic along this railway line and the attraction of new cargoes.

'The joint efforts of Azerbaijan and Georgia within the company will be aimed at strengthening regional transport links, particularly the potential of the Middle Corridor,' Rovshan Rustamov noted.

The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway has recently undergone modernisation and expansion. Due to the necessity of repair works in May 2023, the railway was closed for a period of one year for freight traffic on the Georgian section.
Additionally, the modernisation phase encompassed the construction of a substantial logistics complex, spanning an area of 110 hectares in the vicinity of the Georgian city of Akhalkalaki. It is anticipated that the new logistics complex will become an important hub for the redistribution of freight flows, thereby enhancing efficiency and reducing delivery times.

The reconstruction of the 183 km long Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi section was concluded in early May 2024. Following the completion of the primary phase of repairs, goods trains were reinstated on the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars main line on 20 May 2024.
As a consequence of the modernisation, the annual throughput capacity of the line has increased from one million to five million tonnes. This will markedly enhance the competitiveness of this route in comparison to other regional transport corridors.
It is anticipated that the number of container trains between Turkey and China will reach 200 per year in the medium term and 1,500 in the long term, while the transit time is expected to be reduced from 12 to 10 days.

Vladimir Tskhvediani
Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey Strategic Partnership Information Support Centre

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