The TURKUAZ express block train, consisting of 21 containers, each 45 feet long, loaded with 588 tons of cargo has started running on the BTK railway, arriving from Turkey in Baku.
A new logistics product developed by ADY Container, a subsidiary of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, together with its partners from Turkey and Georgia – the TURKUAZ express container train will be running twice a week from Istanbul (the Anatolian side) and Mersin to Baku and vice-versa. As part of the project, the TURKUAZ train will also be transporting freight from Europe to Azerbaijan travelling via Turkey’s Black Sea and Mediterranean ports.
The journey time of the non-stop block train makes up 6 days and its consistent import-export operation is expected to greatly increase the volume of cargo on the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway line while strengthening its competitiveness.
To date, 26,689 TEU containers have been transported via the BTK line. Last year, the number of containers transported by BTK was 11,748 TEU. In the first quarter of 2021, there was an increase of 83% compared to the same period in 2020.
It is worth noting that especially during the pandemic, when transport links between countries were limited, rail transport did not stop for a moment, but proved its effectiveness.
The goods delivered by TURKUAZ express block train will be brought to the modern A+ category warehouses located within Absheron Logistics Center in Baku and, after being sorted out, they will be shipped directly to the owners’ addresses.
In the first quarter of 2021, freight transport volumes via the BTK totaled 154,836 tons, with the freight transported by 2,468 wagons, while in the corresponding time period of 2020, 78,000 tons of freight were transported.
The BTK opened on 30 October 2017; it connects Europe-Asia rail networks. It is the shortest possible route not only among the three countries but between Asia and Europe also.