Azerbaijani Railways Plans to Extend Routes and Make New Trains

The possibilities for the transportation of passengers by rail from Baku to Sumgayit and back will expand, the head of CJSC Azerbaijani Railways Javid Gurbanov told the media.

This will be possible thanks to the introduction of two new high-speed trains from the company Stadler Rail Group. "One of them is on the way, the second will arrive in Baku maximum in early January. On the balance sheet there are also overhauled trains Riga production," he said. In addition, it is planned to introduce payment of fares in trains using travel cards.

In the future, the movement of trains will be restored on the Absheron peninsula - on the route Baku-Zabrat-Pirshagi-Novkhani-Jorat-Sumgayit, at a distance of 91 km. Currently, work is underway to rid the surrounding areas of railway lines of illegal buildings and communication lines, build railway passes, and set fences along the railway lines, which will cost $ 500-550 million.

Gurbanov said that the price (from 20 to 80 kopecks from Baku to the intermediate stations and Sumgait) will not change. Today, these services are daily used by about 3,000 people. After expanding the route, it is calculated to transport about 20-30 thousand people. --17D-