Route of Poti-Baku container block train to be expanded
Kazakhstan and China will join the route of the Poti-Baku container block train, the movement of which was resumed on July 15, General Director of the Georgian Railway LLC Mamuka Bakhtadze told reporters.
"Initially the block train will operate on the Poti-Baku route. In the coming months, the Azerbaijani side will complete the construction of a new port on the Caspian Sea, and after completion of construction, we will be able to start the second phase, namely the Poti-Baku-Almaty route, which will be joined by China in the future," he said.
The container train has been running on the Poti-Baku route since 1996, but its activity was later suspended. With the start of the container train's work, the receiving side will be able to get the containers within 34 hours.
Levan Jarkava, the Head of the Trans Caucasus Terminals LLC, which is a subsidiary of the Georgian Railway JSC, said that the initially expected revenues from the project will amount to $12 million. The implementation of the project will also reduce the volume of container cargo on the highways.
"The train will operate regularly on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Until now, these cargo transportations have been carried out by cars and took three or four days," Jarkava said.
The block-train will transport containers in accordance with the agreement between the Azerbaijan Railways CJSC and Trans Caucasus Terminals LLC.