Transport sector's share in Azerbaijan GDP reaches 5.6 pct - official
The share of the transport sector in Azerbaijan's GDP has reached 5.6 per cent, Deputy Transport Minister Musa Panahov said at the international conference 'Azerbaijan 2020: a look into the future', on Monday.
"The achievements of the transport sector for the past 10 years will be a good foundation for the realisation of the Azerbaijani strategy till 2020," Panahov said.
He said that the average annual growth of freight transportation hit 3.8 per cent, transit - 6.6 per cent and passenger flow - 6.1 per cent for the past 10 years.
"A program for development of the railway which plans to bring the speed to 140 km / h and the growth in freight transport by 30 per cent is being successfully implemented," Panahov said.
He said that Azerbaijan has recently purchased 11 tankers and six ferries and will continue purchasing in the future.
"At present, the transport sector development concept has been completed," deputy minister said.
He said that around 2500 kilometres of roads of national significance and 4000 local roads were built and reconstructed. More than 170 tunnels, bridges and road junctions were commissioned in Azerbaijan for the last eight years. Around 23 tunnels, 48 underground and surface pedestrian crossings were built and 600 kilometres of roads were reconstructed in Baku over five years.