The export train to China passed through the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway for the first time. The event is unprecedented as the middle transport corridor was used to carry cargo from China to Europe. For the first time in history, Georgia will lead the way to China.
Everyone agrees that this is a good chance for Georgia to increase cargo turnover. Everyone acknowledges that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway's economic benefits are high, but whether the country will be able to receive these benefits entirely depends on its railway policy.
Davit Gochava, an expert on railway issues, has been saying that the Georgian railway needs to be modernized for a long time.
Before entering the Akhalkalaki terminal in Georgia, the 754-meter long train passed through the Marmaray Tunnel, Ankara, Sivas, and Kars, and entered the Akhalkalaki terminal on December 8, at about 23:00 Tbilisi time. As Davit Gochava tells us, in the process of reloading containers, the train was divided into two parts. The first part left the station at about 3:55 a.m., which means it took a whole five hours to process. The second train left Akhalkalaki railway station at about 9:55 am, or about 11 hours after entering the station.
"These two trains arrived at the station in Tbilisi at the following order: the first - at 13:20, the second - at 16:10. Then the two trains merged at the station and left for Gardabani station at 17:34. The train arrived in Gardabani at 18:20 and left the station at 19:35. The train spent about 21 hours on the territory of Georgia," said David Gochava.
"As you know, the length of the route is 8693 kilometers; the approximate length of the road is 12 days. If the train travels at the speed used in Georgia during the entire route, it will arrive at the destination in about a month, instead of 12 days. I say that fundamental reform of the Georgian Railway is necessary," the railway expert told report.ge, adding that the only product we can offer to the world today is transport services. In particular, rail transport.
"It is necessary to modernize the station and the railway line as a whole. We should not give either side an excuse to start talking about moving the Akhalkalaki station to another point. If we lose this function, we will lose the advantage. It will also have a negative impact on revenues," Gochava explains.
Bela Gelashvili
News Author