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Azerbaijan Railways () is the national
state-owned State ownership, also called public ownership or government ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, property, or enterprise by the national government of a country or state, or a public body representing a community, as opposed to ...
rail transport Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
operator Operator may refer to: Mathematics * A symbol indicating a mathematical operation * Logical operator or logical connective in mathematical logic * Operator (mathematics), mapping that acts on elements of a space to produce elements of another sp ...
in the
Republic of Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russi ...
. The ,
gauge Gauge ( ) may refer to: Measurement * Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments * Gauge (firearms) * Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire ** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, especia ...
network is
electrified Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. In the context of history of technology and economic development, electrification refe ...
at 3  kV (3,000  V) DC. The headquarters of the Azerbaijan Railways is in the capital
Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...
. Following the collapse of the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
in 1991 its railway system broke up into national railway systems of various former Soviet republics, from which the independent Republic of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijan Railways both emerged in that year. The first railway line in Azerbaijan was laid in 1878 and was opened in 1880 in the suburbs outside Baku. The railway has 176 stations, 2 of which Biləcəri (in Baku) and Şirvan are completely automated, 12 stations have container courts with adapted mechanisms and machines, 3 stations –
Keşlə Keşlə (; Кешлә, کشله; also Keshly, Keshlya, Kəşlə, Keşlä, Kešlæ, Kishly, Kishlya, Kishty, Kişli and Kitly) is a settlement and municipality in Baku, Azerbaijan. It has a population of 25,626. The Keshla area is becoming main ...
(in Baku),
Gəncə Ganja (; ) is Azerbaijan's List of cities in Azerbaijan, third largest city, with a population of around 335,600.Azərbaycan Respublikası. — 2. Azərbaycan Respublikasının iqtisadi və inzibati rayonları. — 2.4. Azərbaycan Respublikas� ...
and
Xırdalan Khyrdalan () is a city, municipality, and the capital of the Absheron District of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 100,900. The city is home to the country's biggest brewery, Baltika Baku, previously known as Khyrdalan. Khyrdalan gained city sta ...
are able to supply high cargo containers. Along with the Kars–Tbilisi–Baku railway, a regional rail link project that directly connects
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
and
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
since 2017, the railway lines are being modernised in Azerbaijan with new fast rail stock to replace the old rail stock.


History


1878–1917

The first railway line in Azerbaijan then belonging to the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
was laid in 1878 and was opened in 1880 within the suburban range of
Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...
, which led from Sabunçu to Suraxanı, today situated within the city of Baku. The track width corresponded to the
Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
gauge Gauge ( ) may refer to: Measurement * Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments * Gauge (firearms) * Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire ** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, especia ...
. The first long-distance railway line was opened in 1883, which led from Baku to
Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...
in
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
. In 1900 railway lines were opened which connected
Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...
via Biləcəri with
Derbent Derbent, also historically known as Darband, or Derbend, is the southernmost city in Russia. It is situated along the southeastern coast of the Dagestan, Republic of Dagestan, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucas ...
and Petrovsk (
Makhachkala Makhachkala, previously known as Petrovskoye (1844–1857) and Port-Petrovsk (1857–1921), or by the local Kumyk language, Kumyk name of Anji, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Dagestan, Russia. ...
) in
Dagestan Dagestan ( ; ; ), officially the Republic of Dagestan, is a republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, along the Caspian Sea. It is located north of the Greater Caucasus, and is a part of the North Caucasian Fede ...
and thus connected Azerbaijan with the rest of the Russian Empire (and later the Soviet Union). In 1908 with extension of the railway line from Ararat in Armenia to Şərur and Julfa in the Nakhchivan
exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...
of Azerbaijan, this part of Azerbaijan was connected with Armenia. Thus, the development of the Azerbaijani Railway was for the time being considered final.


1917–1991

After the collapse of the Russian Empire and the Russian Revolution, the country was transformed into the Soviet Union and the Russian Imperial Railways into the Soviet Railways. Due to the availability of electricity from the vast
water power Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kin ...
sources of Azerbaijan, the very early
electrification Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. In the context of history of technology and economic development, electrification refe ...
of the railway lines of Azerbaijan began. In 1926 with the electrification with 1,2 kV (1,200 V) direct current of the railway line between Baku and Sabunçu, it became the first electrically operated railway line of the Soviet Union. Later electrifications took place with 3 kV (3,000 V) direct current. In 1924, the railway line was extended southwards to
Ələt Ələt (also, Älät, Aliat, Aljat, Aliaty, Alyat, Alyat-Pristan’, Alyati-Pristan’, Alyaty, and Alyaty-Pristan’) is a settlement and municipality in Baku, Azerbaijan. It has a population of 12,765. The municipality consists of the settleme ...
and
Neftçala Neftchala () is a city and the capital of the Neftchala District of Azerbaijan. Etymology The origin of the city name is Persian ("naft" meaning oil or petroleum) and Azerbaijani ("çala" meaning trench), meaning oil trench. History Thro ...
. In 1941, the railway line was extended from
Horadiz Horadiz is a city and municipality in the Fuzuli District of Azerbaijan, located on the left bank of the Aras river. As of 2019, it had a population of 7,600 people. History During the Russian Empire, the village of Horadiz was part of the Jeb ...
and Mincivan through Armenia including a railway line extension to
Kapan Kapan ( ) is a town in southeast Armenia, serving as the administrative centre of the Kapan Municipality and also as the provincial capital of Syunik Province. It is located in the valley of the Voghji (river), Voghji River and is on the norther ...
, to Julfa in the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan. Thus the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan was finally connected with Azerbaijan proper. In 1941, the railway line was also extended southwards to
Astara, Azerbaijan Astara () is a city in and the capital of the Astara District of Azerbaijan. Astara is a short walk across the Azerbaijan–Iran border, border from Astara, Iran. Geography Astara is located in lowland and mountain zone. The region is surrounde ...
at the southern border with Iran. In 1944, the railway line was extended to Kətəlparaq, Ağdam and
Stepanakert Stepanakert officially Khankendi is a city in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. It was the capital city of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh prior to the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in ...
( Xankəndi). Until 1991 the railway traffic was operated in Azerbaijan by the Soviet Railway under supervision of the Soviet Traffic Ministry. The Azerbaijani branch of the Soviet Railways was divided into three departments of Baku,
Gəncə Ganja (; ) is Azerbaijan's List of cities in Azerbaijan, third largest city, with a population of around 335,600.Azərbaycan Respublikası. — 2. Azərbaycan Respublikasının iqtisadi və inzibati rayonları. — 2.4. Azərbaycan Respublikas� ...
and
Nakhchivan City Nakhchivan ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of the eponymous Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, a true exclave of Azerbaijan, located west of Baku. The municipality of Nakhchivan consists of the city of Nakhchivan, the settlement of Əliab ...
.


1991–present

With the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 1991, the Azerbaijan State Railways (Azərbaycan Dövlət Dəmir Yolları) was formed the same year. Due to the conflict with Armenia over the
Nagorno-Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh (, ; ) is a region in Azerbaijan, covering the southeastern stretch of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range. Part of the greater region of Karabakh, it spans the area between Lower Karabakh and Syunik Province, Syunik. Its ter ...
region in Azerbaijan, the railway service in the Armenian occupied areas of Azerbaijan including Nagorno-Karabakh as well as international railway traffic to Armenia has been cut. As a result, 240.4 km of Azerbaijani railway was under Armenian occupation. In freight traffic, the exportation of oil from the oil wells from Baku at the
Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...
to the Georgian port of
Batumi Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ), historically Batum or Batoum, is the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), second-largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast ...
at the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
forms an important share of the rail
transport in Azerbaijan The transport in Azerbaijan involves air traffic, waterways and railroads. All transportation services in Azerbaijan except for oil and gas pipelines are regulated by the Ministry of Transportation of Azerbaijan Republic. * For transportation ...
: The freight market share of the Azerbaijan State Railway was 21% in 1999. In 2009, the
closed joint-stock company A joint-stock company (JSC) is a business entity in which shares of the company's stock can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by their shares (certificates of ownership). Shareholder ...
"Azerbaijan Railways" (Azәrbaycan Dәmir Yolları Qapalı Səhmdar Cəmiyyəti, "ADY" QSC) - the national operator of the railway network in Azerbaijan with 100% state capital – was founded on the basis of the Azerbaijan State Railways, functionally replacing it. The Kars–Tbilisi–Baku railway is a regional railway project to directly connect Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan. The project was scheduled for completion in 2017. Although no additional railway lines will be added in Azerbaijan itself, as this section in Azerbaijan is already double track and electrified, the railway lines will be modernised and new and fast rail stock will be added and will replace the old rail stock which are still in service. The freight market share of the railways are also expected to rise rapidly with completion of the Kars–Tbilisi–Baku railway. Stadler is to supply double-deck EMUs to Azerbaijan. An agreement for the supply of five Kiss double-deck electric multiple-units was signed by
Stadler Rail Stadler Rail AG is a Swiss manufacturer of railway rolling stock, with an original emphasis on regional train multiple units and trams, but moving also into Rapid transit, mass rapid transit, High-speed rail, high speed, Inter-city rail, interci ...
CEO Peter Spuhler and Javid Gurbanov, Chairman of national railway ADY, at the TransCaspian 2015 trade fair in Baku on May 13. National railway ADY has placed a €300 million order for 50 Alstom KZ8A twin-section 25 kV AC electric freight locomotives. Also, September 7, 2015,
Alstom Alstom SA () is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer which operates worldwide in rail transport markets. It is active in the fields of passenger transportation, signaling, and locomotives, producing high-speed, suburban, regional ...
has begun developing the components for AZ8A freight electric locomotives, intended for supply to Azerbaijan.


Baku suburban railway

In 2019, a commuter railway in Baku was launched, connecting it to Sabunçu. Also it is extended to
Sumgait Sumqayit (or Sumgait; ; , ) is a city in Azerbaijan, located near the Caspian Sea, on the Absheron Peninsula, about away from the capital Baku. The city had a population of 427,000 at the beginning of 2024, making it the List of cities in Azerb ...
city.


Key indicators and areas of activity


Freight transportation


Passenger transportation

Currently, ADY trains operate on these routes: * The trains operating on the Baku-Aghstafa-Baku route make stops at Baku, Bilajari, Laki, Ujar, Yevlakh, Goran, Ganja, Deller, Govlar, Tovuz, and Aghstafa stations. ... * The trains operating on the Baku-Gabala-Baku route make stops at Baku, Bilajari, Aghdash, and Gabala stations. * The trains operating on the Baku-Balakan-Baku route make stops at Baku, Bilajari, Yevlakh, Shaki, Goynuk, Gakh, Goraghan, Aliabad, Zagatala, Goyam, Balakan stations. * The Baku-Gazakh railway line is train route in Azerbaijan, connecting the capital city Baku with the town of Gazakh. Recently, fast regional passenger train service was launched on this route, significantly reducing travel time and increasing passenger capacity.


International railway links with neighboring countries

*
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
- open - gauge. *
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
- open - gauge. *
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
- open -
break-of-gauge With railways, a break of gauge occurs where a line of one track gauge (the distance between the rails, or between the wheels of trains designed to run on those rails) meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock generally canno ...
- - only via the Azerbaijani exclave Nakhchivan ( Julfa/ Jolfa railway bridge), a railway link with Azerbaijan proper is being built. See North–South Transport Corridor. *
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
- open - link to Turkey with
break-of-gauge With railways, a break of gauge occurs where a line of one track gauge (the distance between the rails, or between the wheels of trains designed to run on those rails) meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock generally canno ...
- from Georgia is opened on 30 October 2017. See Kars–Tbilisi–Baku railway. The rail line via Nakhchivan is under construction. *
Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
- closed - gauge - closed due to ongoing hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan.


Projects


International transport corridors


International North–South Transport Corridor

The North-South transport corridor is designed to deliver cargo from India and the Iranian Gulf region to Russia, Western Europe, the Baltic States and the Scandinavian countries. The main advantage of the North-South Transit Corridor compared to other routes is that the transit distance and transit time is two to three times less. If sea transportation takes 45-60 days through the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean and the Baltic Sea to Helsinki, this period with the North-South Transit Corridor is 20-25 days. The agreement on the establishment of the North-South international transport corridor was signed between the governments of Russia, Iran and India on September 12, 2000. The Republic of Azerbaijan acceded to this agreement on the basis of the Law of September 20, 2005.


The Middle Corridor

The Middle Corridor, or Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), serves to increase freight traffic from China to Turkey, as well as to the European Union, and vice versa. The management and development of the transport corridor is carried out by the members of the established Consortium. Trains running on this corridor deliver goods from China to Europe in an average of 10-12 days. This is one of the main advantages of the transport corridor.


North West Transport Corridor

The creation of the North-West transport corridor was made possible by the commissioning of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway in 2017. This corridor is designed for increased freight operations between Turkey and Russia via the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. In particular, the North-West transport corridor facilitates the transportation of Russian-produced coal and grain cargo to Turkey via the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway.


South-West Transport Corridor

The history of the corridor dates back to the beginning of 2016. The Southwest Transport Corridor operates on the geographical route of the Persian Gulf / India - Iran - Azerbaijan - Georgia - Ukraine - Europe (or Turkey - Europe). The corridor was established at the initiative of Azerbaijan Railways (ADY). The presentation of the route was held on January 12, 2016 in Baku, during which discussions were held between the enterprises of the railways and seaports of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Ukraine, as a result of which a Protocol on the development of the corridor was signed. According to this document, the full name of the corridor is "Persian Gulf - Iran Astara and the Caspian Sea - Black Sea - Europe."


Lapis Lazuli corridor

A five-party agreement between Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey on transit and transport cooperation on the Lapis-Lazuli route was signed on November 15, 2017 in Ashgabat. The document envisages the modernization of the transport infrastructure of the participating countries (road, rail and sea), as well as the simplification of customs clearance procedures. The agreement facilitates the uninterrupted transportation of goods through the territory of the Contracting Parties, simplifies issues and procedures related to the transit of traffic, and ensures the safety of vehicles, cargo and passengers.


See also

*
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
* Rail transport in Azerbaijan *
Transport in Azerbaijan The transport in Azerbaijan involves air traffic, waterways and railroads. All transportation services in Azerbaijan except for oil and gas pipelines are regulated by the Ministry of Transportation of Azerbaijan Republic. * For transportation ...
* Chingiz Ildyrym *
Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway The Baku–Tbilisi–Kars (BTK), or Baku–Tbilisi–Akhalkalaki–Kars railway (BTAK), is a railway connecting Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia and Turkey, which became operational on 30 October 2017 following several years of delays. The ...
* Zangezur corridor


References


External links


Azerbaijan Railways Official Site


* * {{Asia in topic, Rail transport in Rail transport in Azerbaijan Railway companies of Azerbaijan Railway companies of the Soviet Union Public transport companies in Azerbaijan Companies based in Baku Railway companies established in 1991 Azerbaijani brands 1991 establishments in Azerbaijan