Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Georgia have officially put into operation the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line, which has become a key part of the Middle Corridor — a new strategic transport route for freight between Asia and Europe bypassing the Russian Federation.
This is reported by Finway
Significance of the Railway for International Logistics
The inauguration ceremony took place in the Georgian town of Akhalkalaki, attended by Turkey’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloglu. He emphasized that this infrastructure project has been implemented through the joint efforts of the three countries, and since 2017, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars line has already made a significant contribution to the development of the Middle Corridor, strengthening ties between the continents.
“The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line is one of the most important transport investments realized by the joint will of the three countries. Since 2017, it has made a substantial contribution to the development of the Middle Corridor and has played a crucial role in strengthening connectivity between Asia and Europe,” said Turkey’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu at the inauguration ceremony held on Tuesday in the Georgian town of Akhalkalaki.
According to the minister, the dynamics of modern trade require not only the opening of new routes but also the creation of reliable and efficient transport corridors. He noted that disruptions in global supply chains and the vulnerability of trade networks have demonstrated how important it is to diversify logistics routes, as such corridors serve as a kind of “insurance” for the global economy in crisis conditions.
Development of the Middle Corridor and Strategic Infrastructure
Abdulkadir Uraloglu emphasized that the main criterion for the success of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars is not only the length of the railway line but also the quality of services, speed of transportation, and user trust. He described this railway as one of the most important nodes in the global transport network and assured that further investments will be directed towards enhancing its efficiency.
As part of the development of the Middle Corridor, Turkey continues to expand its transport infrastructure. In August of last year, construction began on a new 224-kilometer railway line from Kars to Iğdır to Aralık to Dilucu, which is expected to further strengthen railway connectivity between Asia and Europe.
The Middle Corridor, also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), connects China and Europe through Central Asia and the Caucasus. The length of this logistics route, which includes railway and maritime sections, exceeds 6,500 kilometers. Its strategic significance has greatly increased since the onset of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine and the imposition of sanctions that have made the northern route through Russia unprofitable for international transport.
