BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 20. The Chairman of the Azerbaijan Railways JSC Rovshan Rustamov met with the head of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) representation in Azerbaijan, Sunniya Durrani-Jamal, Trend reports via the Azerbaijani Railways.
The meeting discussed the topics of cooperation in digitalization, decarbonization, sustainability, and other areas, and highly praised the effective partnership between the two organizations and ADB's support for the development of Azerbaijan's railway infrastructure.
Besides, the meeting noted that areas such as energy conservation, renewable energy production, waste management, and resource efficiency could be considered as a new phase of cooperation between Azerbaijan Railways and ADB, both of which place great importance on reducing the carbon footprint.
The meeting also involved an exchange of views on projects such as the digitalization of Azerbaijan's railway system, being carried out with ADB's support, the reconstruction of the Sumgayit-Yalama railway line, and potential opportunities for cooperation in new areas.
The reconstruction project of the Sumgayit-Yalama railway line is a crucial step in enhancing Azerbaijan's transit-logistics potential and developing the North-South International Transport Corridor.
As part of the project, 7,114 tons of rails were delivered to Azerbaijan in 2020, with an additional 8,060 tons supplied in 2024.
During the reconstruction, a new rail-sleeper network was installed over a 200 km section, and 174 km of the railway was opened for initial operation. Additionally, 95 bridges, 225 circular culverts, 13 animal crossings, and 7 overhead pedestrian crossings were constructed. These infrastructure upgrades will bring benefits such as time savings in freight and passenger transportation, reduced operational costs for vehicles and infrastructure, and enhanced safety.
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