Additional Metro Stations to Be Built: Is This Realistic in the Short Term?

Baku is expected to see the construction of 10 new metro stations. President Ilham Aliyev discussed this during a meeting with journalists on January 7.

The head of state noted that locations for the new metro stations have been selected, and investments will start being made this year.

The president emphasized that several metro stations have recently been put into operation. However, some experts believe that the process is proceeding slowly. Moreover, a new station planned to open at the end of last year was not completed.

According to information from Baku Metro CJSC at the end of last year, construction work on a station under the “Purple Line” was temporarily halted due to a lack of funds.

The "Baku City Master Plan – 2040" document states that, on average, the construction of each new metro station requires 187 million AZN. By 2027, six stations will require a total of 1.122 billion AZN, and by 2040, the construction of 20 new metro stations will require 3.74 billion AZN. The plan envisions increasing the number of currently operational stations from 25 to 46.

Baku Metro CJSC told Turan that the public will be informed about the location, construction timeline, and other details of the planned 10 metro stations.

Elshad Musayev, a member of the Milli Majlis (National Assembly), told Turan that Baku faces significant traffic congestion due to various reasons: “One way to address this issue is to increase the number of underground transport stations. For instance, Istanbul has an extensive metro network, which helps reduce traffic congestion. I believe taking similar steps here would be the right decision.”

The deputy also noted that there are different ways to implement this: “In Turkey, the approach is more modern. We could adopt their experience.”

Musayev emphasized that the state has sufficient funds to implement this plan, and the necessary resources can be allocated.

Transportation expert Arshad Huseynov, speaking to Azadliq Radio, mentioned that progress in Baku’s metro development has been slow due to a lack of funding:
“But there is hope that work will accelerate. During COP-29, an agreement was signed with an international financial institution for metro construction in Baku. It appears that loans will be attracted for this purpose. However, the state itself also has the potential to realize this project.”

According to the expert, failure to expand the metro system will lead to serious consequences: “The consequences are already visible. Traffic congestion in the city is intensifying, people are spending more time on the roads, and traffic accidents are increasing. If you add up all these losses and convert them into monetary terms, it would amount to several times the cost of building the new metro stations. If funds are not allocated, the situation will deteriorate further, as surface transportation is not developing. In fact, we are already late. Baku should have 40 stations by now.”