Baku-Sumgayit high-speed trains to run from September
By Nigar Orujova
High-speed double-decker Stadler trains will begin operating on the Baku-Sumgayit route from September 15.
Nadir Azmammadov, the spokesperson of Azerbaijani Railways, said on July 8 that the Sumgayit passenger station will undergo renovation.
An overhaul of 52 km of the total 63 km of the Baku-Sumgayit route has already been completed. Azerbaijani Railways is building two new platforms at the railway station in Sumgayit and a new platform at the Baku station.
“At the moment construction works of the platform are continuing at the passenger station in Sumgayit, which will be reconstructed. As the train is high-speed, the line crossings are eliminated, and fencing is underway within Baku,” he said.
As of now, the electric trains that run between Azerbaijan’s two biggest cities Baku and Sumgayit on the Baku-Balajari-Sumgayit route arrive at their destination in one hour 22 minutes. After the renovation, the time will be reduced to 40 minutes.
On the Baku-Zabrat-Sumgayit route, trains currently arriving at the station in one hour 29 minutes will make the trip in 52 minutes after the renovation.
At present, Azerbaijan has two double-decker trains with three more trains to arrive by the end of the year.
The KISS double-decker electric railcar was produced at the Stadler Minsk factory by the Stadler Rail Group Company. The train has 396 seats, including 84 business class seats, and has a total capacity of 919 passengers.
In the future, the trains will carry passengers on the 91 km long circular Baku-Sumgayit-Baku route, which is currently being renovated.
Azmammadov said a one-way ticket will cost about 1 manat ($0.95) for the trip.
Azmammadov also stated that two-way route will consist of two parts, the 42 km Baku-Bilajari-Sumgayit and the 49 km Baku-Zabrat-Sumgayit routes.
Ten trains are expected to operate on the circular route. The average speed on the new railway line will be 63 kilometers per hour. The rail line will have 23 stations and stops.
Azerbaijan Railways and Switzerland’s Stadler Rail Group signed a contract on the purchase of five KISS double-decker trains at the 14th International Transport, Transit and Logistics Exhibition in Baku this May.
The contract is worth about 60-70 million euros, which is to be paid to Stadler Rail Group within 20 years with the help of revenues generated from passenger transportation.
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Nigar Orujova is AzerNews’s staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar
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