Suburban trains to be launched in Baku
By Nazrin Gadimova
Movement of trains to the settlements of Azerbaijan's capital Baku will be resumed. The project is included in proposals on the implementation of sustainable transport in the framework of the Greater Baku Regional Development Plan, said Head of International Relations and Information Department of the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture Jahangir Gojayev.
"We plan to use this (Baku railway) station for the operation of electrical and special trains in the future. Earlier there was such a train station in Baku and we want to restore it on the basis of a proposed plan," Gojayev said.
These trains, whose traffic was suspended a few years ago, will operate within Baku and its surrounding settlements.
The Greater Baku Regional Development Plan also envisions the introduction of new types of public transport such as light rail, skytrains, metrobuses, etc.
Azerbaijan and the World Bank signed a loan agreement in 2007 to develop the Greater Baku Regional Development Plan. The plan has been developed through coordination with Baku State Design Institute.
According to preliminary estimates, the average cost of the Greater Baku Regional Development Plan may reach 4-5 billion manats (up to over $6.3 billion).
Under the Plan, the street and road network of the city will increase by hundreds of kilometers, the number of polluted lakes and urban pollution will be significantly reduced; parks and public gardens will be created in an area of 34,000 hectares.
The Plan envisions future development of the city with its 11 surrounding areas, Sumgayit, the country's third largest city, and the entire Absheron Peninsula, until 2030.