BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 1. Cooperation on the
Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway line is expanding, a source in
Azerbaijan Railways CJSC (ADY) told Trend.
As part of the Transport Week held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, ADY
Chairman Rovshan Rustamov, General Director of Georgian Railways
JSC Lasha Abashidze, and General Director and Chairman of the Board
of Directors of TCDD Transport, Turkish State Railways, Ufuk
Yalcin, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the organization of
freight transportation via the BTK railway line.
Under this document, the parties agreed to increase the
competitiveness of the BTK route compared to other transport
corridors, attract additional cargo flows to this route with
optimized delivery times, apply competitive tariffs that ensure
stable conditions for cargo transportation, and establish
transparent prices.
“The goal is to create a stable and predictable operating regime
along the BTK route, improve conditions for cargo owners and
increase the volume of transportation, and it was emphasized that
compliance with delivery times is a key element of the
attractiveness of the BTK route for shippers,” the source said.
According to the agreement, the delivery time (excluding customs
and border procedures) in the Alat-Boyuk Kesik and
Gardabani-Akhalkalaki sections was set at no more than 24 hours,
and in the Yalama-Boyuk Kesik section at no more than 48 hours.
This period was set at no more than 60 hours in the Kars-Mersin
section in Türkiye, and at no more than 70 hours in the
Kars-Istanbul section, which will allow cargo to be delivered from
Alat to Mersin in four and a half days.
In the event of deviations from the standard delivery times, the
parties will inform each other and take measures to restore the
schedule.
Transportation tariffs on the BTK route have also been
determined on the basis of mutual agreements.
The document prioritizes the possibility of implementing a joint
digital platform or interface for cargo tracking and document
management.
Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News
Agency’s WhatsApp channel
