Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Section to Be Launched by End of Month

The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway section will begin operating by the end of the current month. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze made this announcement at a briefing held at the Government Administration.

According to the Prime Minister, an agreement with the Azerbaijani side regarding the project has already been reached, and Georgian Railway will take full responsibility for the Georgian section of the line.

"We have finally agreed with the Azerbaijani side on all details related to the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, and this railway section will begin operating by the end of the month," Kobakhidze stated.

He further explained that a new platform will be established to operate the railway, which will help maximize the country's transit potential.

"A joint Georgian-Azerbaijani enterprise will be founded, and the railway will be operated within this framework. This is also very important for maximizing our connectivity function. In addition, from May 26, rail service between Georgia and Azerbaijan will be restored, which is very significant for relations between the two countries, people-to-people ties, tourism development — and this too is a very important outcome."

The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway was inaugurated on October 30, 2017. As part of the project, a 98 km railway line was built between Kars and Akhalkalaki, of which 68 km lies on Turkish territory and 30 km on Georgian territory. The same project included the reconstruction of the 183 km Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi railway section in Georgia. The total length of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is 827 km.