Freight transportation has restarted with the completion of modernization and expansion works in some sections of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway (BTK), which was closed on May 2023 upon Georgia's request for road maintenance works, on the Georgian crossing. The train departing from Azerbaijan reached Turkey. The train was taken to Kars Logistics Center after the inspection by customs enforcement teams at Kars Station.
China delivered 200 containers and 50 thousand living tents to Turkey after the February 6 earthquakes.
Reminding that a block container freight train consisting of 42 container-laden wagons from Xi'an, China was shipped from Ankara to Prague, Czechia on November 6, 2019, Minister Uraloğlu also recalled that 50 thousand living tents in 200 containers were transported from China to Türkiye via Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Line after the February 6 earthquakes. “While this train completed the China-Turkey route in 12 days, the total route between China-Prague took 18 days and made history as the first freight train to go from China to Europe via the Iron Silk Road and to reach Europe using Marmaray.” Speaking as follows, Uraloğlu added that the first export block train from Turkey to China departed from Çerkezköy on December 4, 2020 and reached the city of Xinzhu in Xian province.
“A total of 1 million 470 thousand tons of cargo was transported”
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu stated that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Line became operational on October 30, 2017 with the cooperation of Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan and has carried a total of 1 million 470 thousand tons of cargo, including conventional transportation, since then. . Uraloğlu emphasized that these data show how important the line is for the region. Of the line, which is 757 kilometers long in total, 429 kilometers are within the borders of Azerbaijan, 220 kilometers within the borders of Georgia and 79 kilometers within the borders of Turkey. Stating that the first commercial transportation started on October 30, 2017, at a distance of 4 thousand 700 kilometers between Kazakhstan and Turkey, Uraloğlu also stated that cargo was transported to Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and China via this line.
“Travel time between Türkiye and China will decrease”
Stating that the Kars Logistics Center, which will create an important logistics center for transportation via Baku-Tbilisi-Kars and the Middle Corridor, was put into service in May 2021, Abdülkadir Uraloğlu said that the annual transportation between Turkey and China will be carried out annually in the medium term via the Middle Corridor and Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Line. He emphasized that they aim to operate 200 block trains. Uraloğlu said, “In the long term, we plan to operate 1,500 block trains and transport 6.5 tons of freight annually on the Central Corridor and Baku-Tbilisi-Kars route. "We also aim to reduce the total travel time between Türkiye and China to 10 days," he said.
“Zengezur Corridor will improve East-West trade”
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu pointed out the importance of the Zengezur Corridor, which is expected to increase the effectiveness of the Central Corridor and Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Line, and added:
“The Zangezur Corridor will connect the land and railway lines between the western regions of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, passing through the Zangezur Region via Armenia. With the implementation of the Zengezur Corridor, the railway and road freight carrying capacity of the Central Corridor will increase. This will contribute positively to the development of East-West trade extending from Beijing to London. In addition, with the increase in the effectiveness of the Central Corridor, projects that can be carried out on the Caspian Sea with Azerbaijan, as well as transportation with Nakhchivan and Russia, will be increased.
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