The scope, route, targets and history of Baku-Tblisi-Kars railway project which connects Kars (Turkey) to Baku (Azerbaijan) and Central Asia via Tblisi (Georgia):

Project overview

• Owner: Turkish State Railways (Kars-Akhalkalaki) and Azerbaijan Railways (Akhalkalaki-Baku)
• Contractor: Ozgun Yapi-Celikler (Kars-Akhalkalaki)
• Contract date: 4/2010
• Contract duration: 700 days
• Contract deadline: 10/2017
• Contract value: TL 12.15 bn
• Commission date: 30th October 2017

Route

Stops/connections

Baku (connection to Central Asia and China via Caspian Sea) – Tbilisi (connection to Poti port) – Akhalkalaki (break of gauge) – Kars (connection to Turkish national rail network)

Project details

Line between Baku- Azerbaijan/Georgian border (503 km) and Azerbaijan/Georgian border-Akhalkalaki (230 km) was modernized. Line between Akhalkalaki-Georgian/Turkish border (29 km) and Georgian/Turkish border-Kars (76.6 km) is under construction. This line under construction has 22 tunnels of 18-km-long and 2 viaducts of 550 meters.

• Line length: 838.6 km

Targets

• The railway will have 1mn passenger and 6.5 mn ton freight capacity annually.
• By the construction of second line in 20 years, the passenger capacity will be increased to 3 mn.
• Double track will increase the freight capacity to 17 mn ton.

Rolling Stock

Azerbaijan Railways will give overnight train service between Turkey and Azerbaijan (most probably between Baku and Ankara) with Stadler sleepers which can continue on both standard and broad railway gauge.

Cover photo: Azerbaycan Demiryolları ©