Test Launch of First Container Train on Route China-Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan

The test launch of the first container train on the route China-Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan proved to be safe. As a result of the coordinated actions of the parties was set competitive tariffs for transportation and delivery time is provided for the entire route in six or seven days. The route is a continuation of the project of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) and is designed to provide competitive delivery of cargo transport corridor East-West from China to Central Europe. He has already been named trans-Caspian international transport routes (TMTM).

According to information released recently JSC "Kazakhstan Railways", the launch of container train TMTM: China-Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey - is scheduled for September this year.

This became possible after the commissioning in the spring of this year, a large railway tunnel connecting Georgia and Turkey. In this regard, as already reported, "NG", Azerbaijani Deputy Transport Minister Musa Panahov said that the opening of the tunnel is an important event as the construction work on this section of railway line was delayed. "That was the reason for postponing the implementation of the project," Panahov said, noting that "this railway will promote the development of both domestic and international trade and transit."

Recall, the project of railway transport corridor Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is carried out on the basis of Georgian-Azerbaijani-Turkish inter-state agreement. The project included the construction of Kars-Akhalkalaki length of 98 km, of which 68 km in Turkey, 30 km - Georgia. In Georgia, the renovated 183-kilometer railway section of Akhalkalaki-Marabda-Tbilisi is to increase capacity to 17 million tons of cargo a year. The station is also built in Akhalkalaki for the transition of trains from the track existing in Georgia to the European one. It is expected that every year on the new railway line, which offers direct access to the European rail network will transport 30 million tons of cargo. The Ministry of Transport of Azerbaijan told Nezavisimaya Gazeta that BTK will increase the flow of goods - in particular container, bulk and other cargo types - from Asia to Europe.

BTK project implementation in Azerbaijan attaches great importance. According to the director of the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of Azerbaijan Farhad Mammadov, the project generates a whole BTK trends. "To ensure the transportation of goods by rail Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway in the suburbs of Baku to build a new major international cargo port of Alat, which can take up to 11.6 million tons of cargo per year," Mamedov said in an interview with News-Georgia.

Today, as Baku and hoped great interest in the project began to show the countries of Central Asia and the Far East. After Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan interested in cargo transportation from BTK expressed Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. "We want to use the transit possibilities of Azerbaijan. Moreover, in Baku there are major ports of Turkmenbashi in Turkmenistan is also a good port. For us this is a very convenient route," - said the local edition of the Tajik ambassador to Azerbaijan Zohir Saidov.

At the same time, he recalled that this question was discussed earlier in the course of bilateral meetings at the highest level. According to the diplomat, Tajikistan transports through the territory of Azerbaijan about 1 million tons of cargo annually. This is primarily alumina and aluminum produced in the Tajik aluminum plant. And the opening of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will make the transport of goods from Tajikistan even more comfortable and faster.

The intention to take advantage of the BTK said the other day, and the head of the transport support of the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, Investments and Trade of Uzbekistan Davron Khodzhaev. Speaking at the international conference "The transport corridor Uzbekistan - Latvia - the EU", held in Tashkent, Khodzhaev said that "Uzbekistan is considering the use of three new transport corridors, including the railway line Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, to diversify cargo routes."  "The first corridor in the direction of Europe for a new railway route Baku-Akhalkalaki-Kars railway. Another very relevant trend is in China and Southeast Asia (SEA) through logistics center Khorgos. And the third corridor in the direction of Europe through the Turkish port of Mersin in transit through Turkmenistan, Iran and Turkey,” he said.

When the issue was ready for publication, it became known that a test train started in Turkey on the railway Baku-Tbilisi-Kars. This was stated by the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a speech in Beijing China-Turkish business forum. According to the TV channel TRT Haber, the President of Turkey focused attention on the importance of the BTK project in the field of transportation. -0--