Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye launch upgraded Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway
On June 2, the modernized Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway line officially launched during the inauguration ceremony at the Akhalkalaki railway logistics complex in Georgia, Qazinform News Agency reports.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Digital Development and Transport, Rashad Nabiyev, Georgia’s Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Mariam Kvrivishvili, and Türkiye’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, attended the event.
Representatives from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, the diplomatic corps, and international partners across the region also attended the ceremony.
According to Georgia’s Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is a joint strategic project of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye aimed at strengthening transport links between Europe and Asia.
As part of the modernization, the 180-kilometer Marabda-Kartsakhi section was fully upgraded. This included the reconstruction of 153 kilometers of railway track and the construction of an additional 27 kilometers of new rail line built to European standards.
Once operating at full capacity, the railway is expected to handle up to 5 million tons of cargo annually. This will significantly increase transit volumes along the Middle Corridor and strengthen the region’s position as a key logistics route in Eurasia.
The importance of the BTK railway has grown amid the ongoing reconfiguration of global supply chains, rising trade between China and Europe, and the growing significance of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR).
Experts note that the launch of the modernized section will accelerate container transportation, ease pressure on alternative routes, and create additional export and transit opportunities for countries in Central Asia and the South Caucasus.
The upgraded corridor shortens delivery times. Freight shipments from Xi’an, China, to Türkiye’s border with the European Union currently take 13-14 days, making the route significantly faster than maritime transport and more cost-effective than air freight.
The project’s completion became possible after the Azerbaijan-Georgia Bilateral Coordination Council signed a protocol during a Georgian delegation’s visit to Baku on May 18.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Kazakhstan’s Transport Ministry announced the launch of a digital system to exchange international road transport permits with Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and Kyrgyzstan.
