Azerbaijan’s transport infrastructure boosts regional connectivity, economic growth Key takeaways from recent government meeting

Azerbaijan’s advantageous geographical location, coupled with multibillion-dollar investments in railways, highways, seaports, and airports, has enabled the country to become a key transport hub in the Caspian region. The victory in the 44-day Patriotic War and the full restoration of control over Azerbaijan’s territory have paved the way for large-scale efforts to revive the transport infrastructure of the Karabakh region, creating excellent conditions for unblocking all transportation routes in the South Caucasus. 

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev addressed the achievements and prospects of modernising the country’s transport infrastructure, including that of the capital, Baku, during a recently held meeting to discuss transport development.

Today, Azerbaijan is ahead of many Caspian region countries in implementing large-scale transport infrastructure projects. Thanks to a forward-thinking state policy, a decision was made nearly a quarter of a century ago to allocate part of the country’s oil revenues to the development of the transport sector, giving momentum to the creation of key transit arteries toward Georgia, Russia, and Iran. This includes the completed modernization of the strategic 508-km Silk Road highway from Baku to the Georgian border and the construction of the 204-km, four-lane Alat-Astara highway leading to the Iranian border. In 2023, a new 152-km high-speed motorway from Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev settlement to Guba and the Russian border was also commissioned.

"In particular, over the last 20 years, 21,000 kilometres of highways have been built and repaired in Azerbaijan. 335 bridges and overpasses, 45 tunnels, 163 overhead and underground passages have been built," President Ilham Aliyev stated during a government meeting on transport. Additionally, “more than 1,500 kilometres of railways have been built, 1,800 kilometres have been repaired, new trains, and wagons have been purchased, the Absheron circular line, which is more than 90 kilometres long, has been put into operation. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway has been built," he added.

Last year saw the completion of the expansion of the Georgian section of the BTK railway, increasing its capacity from 1 million to 5 million tonnes of cargo. Among the key transport infrastructure projects, the president also highlighted the modernisation of the Sumgayit-Yalama railway, which is 80% complete and will be fully operational in the near future. Efforts are also underway to expand the capacity of the Alat-Astara road in anticipation of future freight volumes along the North-South corridor.

Additionally, several new railway routes have been identified to enhance connectivity between Azerbaijani cities. Notable projects include the construction of the Baku-Gabala railway line and the launch of modern train services on the Baku-Balakan and Baku-Agstafa routes, linking the capital with the country's northwestern border. Meanwhile, a key component of the Middle Corridor—the Baku International Sea Trade Port (BISTP)—is undergoing modernisation, with its handling capacity set to increase from the current 15 million to 25 million tonnes per year.

A key achievement of the past 20 years in Azerbaijan, according to the head of state, has been the construction of eight international airports across the country’s regions. Recently, the Fuzuli and Zangilan airports were commissioned, and a ninth airport will soon be established in the Lachin district.

As President Ilham Aliyev emphasized, today it is impossible to imagine the transport map of Eurasia without Azerbaijan and its transport infrastructure, which supports the functioning of the East-West and North-South transit corridors. The volume of goods transported through these corridors increases each year, and alongside the development of modern infrastructure, Azerbaijan is taking further steps to improve cargo transportation efficiency. This includes simplifying cross-border and customs procedures in cooperation with neighbouring partner countries, enhancing relevant legislation, and placing a significant focus on digitalization in freight transport.

"In short, Azerbaijan today is one of the indispensable transport centres of Eurasia. I should also note that countries that usually have the status of transport centres are those that have access to open seas. We do not have access to the world ocean. However, despite this, as a result of the work we have done, we have turned Azerbaijan into an indispensable transport centre," noted the President of Azerbaijan, emphasizing that this work continues and additional measures are being taken for the North-South and East-West transport corridors, considering the projected growth in cargo traffic.

In the past four years, the focus of transport infrastructure construction has shifted to the liberated territories: in the Karabakh region, nearly twenty road and transport projects are being rapidly implemented in the challenging mountainous terrain. Construction of bridges, tunnels, and other road infrastructure totalling approximately 3,400 kilometres is underway. According to President Aliyev, a total of 44 road projects have been implemented or are currently being carried out. This includes plans for the construction of 45 tunnels, 447 bridges, and 16 viaducts, of which 28 tunnels, 392 bridges, and 9 viaducts have already been completed. Clearly, the majority of roads and engineering structures have already been built, and active work is ongoing on many other sections.

"Among the new projects, I would like to mention the Zangezur corridor. The Zangezur corridor project was put forward by Azerbaijan. After our Victory in the Second Karabakh War, this issue was put on the international agenda, in the international lexicon, and today the Zangezur corridor is already an accepted expression, an accepted term in the world. Of course, we are taking practical steps to open this corridor. True, the Armenian side has been demonstrating an unconstructive position on this issue for more than four years. In fact, it is not fulfilling the obligations it assumed after the November 10 capitulation. It was explicitly stated there that there should be a transport connection between the main part of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, which is its integral part," President Aliyev stated. 

However, despite Armenia’s destructive stance, work on the creation of the Zangezur Corridor and the formation of railway infrastructure in the Karabakh region continues. For example, 60% of the Goranboy-Aghband railway has been completed, and the construction of the Barda-Agdam railway is 94% finished.

Armenia has “come up with the so-called ‘Peace Crossroads’ project, and now there is not a single country in the world they have not shared this project with. However, this so-called project is not worth two cents without Azerbaijan,” stated the head of state. 

“True, we are meeting the needs of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic in various ways. First of all, cargo and passengers go through the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran…A corresponding agreement has been reached with the Islamic Republic of Iran and a project is now underway on the construction of a road bridge bypassing Armenia. It will probably be completed this year.” The first border bridge connecting to Iran is being built in the Zangilan district, with another one to be constructed from Nakhchivan, emphasized President Ilham Aliyev: “Thus, Armenia will continue to be a dead-end country and their dreams of becoming a transit state will never be materialized”

During the meeting, a significant portion of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s speech was dedicated to the modernization of Baku’s transport infrastructure. “Over the past 30 years, the population of Azerbaijan has increased from 7 million to 10 million, even above that. Of course, the city's road infrastructure, including the metro, cannot absorb this growth. We have always kept transport issues in the spotlight, and many large projects have been implemented in Baku over the past 15 years, new metro stations have been put into operation, road junctions, tunnels, bridges have been built, new roads have been laid. If we had not done this work, transport in Baku would be completely paralyzed today,” the head of state remarked. 

President Aliyev reminded that since 2008, seven new metro stations have been built, and a state programme to be adopted envisions the construction of 10 new underground stations. Over the years, 266 new-generation metro carriages have been purchased for this purpose, and the process continues.

The head of state also highlighted the dynamic development of air travel connecting Baku to cities around the world: “Heydar Aliyev International Airport transported a record number of passengers last year – more than seven million. According to the information I have received, the analysis conducted by the ministry shows that this figure will increase further, and it was proposed that a new terminal complex be built.”

In recent years, hundreds of new passenger buses have been imported into the country, including 161 new electric buses. By the end of this year, assembly of electric buses will begin, followed by work to increase localisation.

As noted by Rashad Nabiyev, the Minister of Digital Development and Transport, during the meeting, to increase the frequency of passenger bus services, ensure traffic speed, and improve service quality, bus lanes totalling 112 kilometres have been created. The enforcement of regulations related to bus lanes and the reduction of illegal parking have been ensured on the capital's roads, while the number of buses operating daily has increased from 1,750 to 2,160. A logical consequence of these reforms has been the increased public trust in buses; compared to the start of the reforms, transportation in Baku and surrounding areas has increased by 9%.

Similar reforms have also been carried out in the taxi services sector: as a result of the reforms, the taxi fleet has been updated, and the number of taxis has been reduced from 67,000 to 30,000. Large-scale efforts have also been made to create micro-mobility infrastructure, with 35 kilometres of dedicated lanes for bicycles, electric scooters, and mopeds created on the streets of Baku, and plans to extend this network to 100 kilometres.