First Azerbaijani cargo train arrives in Turkey
By Sara Israfilbayova
The first freight train of the Azerbaijan Railways CJSC via the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway (BTK) arrived in Turkey.
Sevinj Gadirova, the spokesperson for Azerbaijan Railways, said that the freight train belonging to Azerbaijan Railways hit the road by the BTK railroad on December 5.
Kazim Sharifov, Head of Safety Department in the Ministry of Transport said that after the change wheel sets of wagons with a gauge of 1,520 mm at a gauge of 1,435 mm at the station in Akhalkalaki, the train was sent to Kars.
On October 30, a solemn ceremony was held at the Baku International Sea Trade Port on the occasion of the opening of the BTK railway. Two routes from Kazakhstan to Turkish Mersin have already been sent by this route. The first train, consisting of 30 containers, on November 4, delivered 600 tons of wheat to the Turkish city of Mersin. The second freight train left Kazakhstan on November 27. At present the train reached Georgia.
The BTK railway is constructed on the basis of the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey intergovernmental agreement. The main purpose of the project is to improve economic relations between the three countries and gain foreign direct investment by connecting Europe and Asia.
The project implementation began in 2007 and construction began in 2008. The line is intended to transport one million passengers and 6.5 million tons of freight at the first stage. This capacity will then reach 3 million passengers and 17 million tons of cargo.
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