Azerbaijan, China Agree to Boost Baku–Tbilisi–Kars Railway Development

Azerbaijan and China have reached a significant agreement to enhance the development of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway, a crucial transport corridor connecting the South Caucasus with Türkiye and Europe.

Azerbaijan Railways company (ADY) announced that Azerbaijan and China took a major step toward boosting transcontinental trade by deepening cooperation in international transport corridors and freight logistics, The Caspian Post reports via local media.

The announcement follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Azerbaijan Railways and the China State Railway Group.

The agreement is viewed as a key milestone in the evolving strategic partnership between Baku and Beijing, aimed at improving cross-border connectivity and ensuring seamless freight movement across Eurasia.

A core focus of the agreement is the development of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway, an essential component of the Middle Corridor that links East Asia with Europe via the South Caucasus and Türkiye. The two sides agreed to expand the corridor’s capacity, enabling faster and more efficient transportation of Chinese goods to European markets.

The memorandum also outlines plans to enhance cooperation in:

Railway and port infrastructure development,

Expansion of container shipping across the Caspian Sea,

Increasing daily block trains,

Achieving a throughput capacity of 10 trains per day.

In light of these efforts, the BTK route is emerging as a strategic East-West trade artery, particularly amid growing demand for alternative transport routes that bypass more congested or geopolitically sensitive corridors.

Notably, in 2023-2024, Azerbaijan Railways completed a significant modernization project on the BTK line in Georgia, a key segment of the Middle Corridor. This upgrade has substantially boosted the region’s transit potential and further improved the corridor’s competitiveness in global supply chains.