Turkey has increased trade turnover through the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars transport corridor amid pandemic, Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoglu said.
"Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for rail freight, as the safest mode of transport, has significantly increased. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway corridor plays an essential role in international cargo transportation, especially in the Central Asian region. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan decided to expand the potential of BTK. The new container transfer system near the Georgian border will lead to an increase in the cargo transportation volume by 3.5 thousand tonnes," Karaismailoglu stated.
As Minister Karaismailoglu reports, Turkey has exported 240,000 tonnes of cargo and received 280,000 tonnes of the imported product.
The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad started operation on October 30, 2017.
A 98-km-road was installed as part of the project between Kars and Akhalkalaki. A total of 98 km were in Turkey's territory, while 30 belonged to Georgia.
A 183-km-section renovation was carried out in the Georgian territory (Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi).
Azerbaijan financed the highway in the territory of Georgia, as it allocated 775 mln USD credit.
The overall freight turnover at the BTU railway includes six million tonnes with one million passengers.
A total of 15 million-tonne turnover is planned on the railroad.
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Vakho Revazishvili
News Author