Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 14
By Azad Hasanli – Trend:
Railway from Azerbaijan’s Baku to Nakhchivan will become operational three years after a loan agreement is signed to construct the Rasht-Astara railway section, said Azerbaijan Railways Chairman Javid Gurbanov, AzTV reported.
“Currently, preparations are underway for signing this loan agreement,” said Gurbanov.
The Rasht-Astara section is a part of the Gazvin-Rasht-Astara (Iran)-Astara (Azerbaijan) railway, which is one of the segments of the North-South Transport Corridor. This transportation corridor will connect Northern Europe with Southeast Asia, linking Azerbaijani, Iranian and Russian railways as well.
“Once the train starts to run along this route, it may be said that the [rail] blockade of Nakhchivan will be lifted. At an average speed of 60 km per hour, the trip from Nakhchivan to Baku can take 28-30 hours,” he said.
Gurbanov noted that this will allow increasing the tourist flow into Nakhchivan and simplifying freight traffic.
“Nakhchivan has a great potential – different products, whether it be mineral water or travertine, can be supplied from there by rail. I know that particularly Belarus is interested in deliveries of travertine,” he said.
“These deliveries are impossible to be made by air or by car and railways will be the best solution to the issue,” Gurbanov added.