Heads of CIS railways gather in Baku to discuss int'l corridor development

Baku is hosting the 83rd meeting of the Council for Rail Transport of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to discuss the development of international transport corridors.

The event brings together heads of railway administrations from Azerbaijan, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Iran, Armenia, Latvia, and Estonia, as well as representatives from the Organization for Cooperation between Railways (OSJD), the CIS Executive Committee, and the International Confederation of Railway Workers’ Unions, Caliber.Az reports via the Azerbaijan Railways website.

The agenda includes reviewing the performance of the CIS railway network for the first nine months of 2025, organising freight and container trains for international transport, developing international transport corridors, setting tariff policies for international freight in 2026, and other related issues.

The CIS Rail Transport Council was established on February 14, 1992, by agreement of the heads of government of the member states to coordinate interstate railway cooperation across the former Soviet space.

Its mandate includes harmonising technical and operational rules, coordinating the joint use and maintenance of freight cars and containers, setting unified tariff policies for international freight traffic, and organising shared scheduling and accounting systems among national railways.

The Council unites railway administrations from CIS countries — and also includes associated and observer members from related states or international railway organisations.

By Jeyhun Aghazada