Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway: launch date announced

The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway route will increase its transportation capacity to five million tons per year after modernization on May 20, a fivefold increase from its previous capacity, Azerbaijan Railways CJSC (ADY) said.

ADY Chairman Rovshan Rustamov announced the completion of repair and expansion efforts along the 184-km stretch of the BTK railway line in Georgia. Following these enhancements, BTK's annual throughput capacity surged from one million tons to 5 mln tons.

In addition to laying down the railway line, the project encompassed installing a 10 kW electric line spanning 172 kilometers, laying a 338-kilometer fiber-optic cable, and undertaking essential maintenance on the roads adjacent to the route.

“Starting May 20, freight transportation will commence on the upgraded BTK railway line. The primary aim of modernizing this railway was to enhance the Middle Corridor's competitiveness and elevate the railway route's status as a key freight thoroughfare within this corridor,” Rustamov said.