Railway company refuses to announce date of Baku-Balakan traffic opening

Baku/04.09.23/Turan: The Baku-Balakan-Baku passenger railway, which was in operation before the covid epidemic, has been out of operation since 19 March 2020. Since that day, traffic on all railway routes, excluding electric trains in the Absheron Peninsula, has stopped. Then gradually the traffic was resumed, with the replacement of old passenger trains with new high-speed carriages without sleeper berths. But Baku-Balakan route has not been restored.

The press service of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC told Turan that infrastructural and road works are being carried out on Baku-Balakan railway line. Rails are being changed. Traffic on this route will be resumed after the completion of these works. CJSC did not answer the question about approximate date of resumption of traffic, saying that the time of resumption will be announced to the press.

Moving in a car along the railway in the territory of Gakh and Sheki regions, Turan correspondent did not find any operations on the railway bed.  It can be said unequivocally that this year there will be no train traffic on the Baku-Balakan-Baku route.

The lack of railway communication on this route forces tens of thousands of passengers to travel in private minibuses and passenger taxis. Increased vehicular traffic on mountain roads has led to an increase in car accidents with heavy casualties. Thus, in October 2022, a Mersedes-Vito minibus crashed into a lorry in Gobustan region, killing two people and seriously injuring one. In September 2022, the same minibus crashed in Zagatala, three people were injured.

The number of road accidents in Azerbaijan grows by 2-7% annually.  According to the State Statistics Committee, in 2022, 1668 road accidents (RTA) recorded, 834 people died in them.-0-