In 2011, Azerbaijan's transport sector developed almost on all directions.
In 2011, in accordance with a plan of activities to improve transport system, construction of new overpasses, bridges, tunnels, underground and overground pedestrian crossings, as well as reconstruction of existing ones continued in Baku. A number of facilities were commissioned. They included Buzovna road junction, Koroglu metro station, Mardakan three-level road junction in the Khazar district in 14-kilometer Heydar Aliyev International Airport - Zagulba highway, another metro station and other facilities of transport infrastructure.
Construction and reconstruction of roads and road infrastructure in the country's regions were conducted intensively: construction of the remaining 60-km section of highway Baku-Russian border was conducted, a belt road and two road junctions on the Alat-Astara highway were opened, a bridge over the River Araz with length of 250 meters was commissioned between the Nakhichivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan and Iran.
In 2011, work was continued on the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway designed to connect Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey: in particular, work was initiated and continued on the major repair of the Baku-Boyuk Kasik (border with Georgia) railway section.
After commissioning the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway corridor freight traffic through Euro-Asian transport corridor TRACECA will significantly increase, and increased shipping fleet will be required to transport growing volumes of cargo. Azerbaijan State Caspian Sea Shipping Company (CASPAR) and the Croatian Uljanik Shipyard signed a contract in Baku to build new ferries for Azerbaijan. Their construction is underway at present.
New International Airport was opened in Gabala in 2011.
CJSC Azerbaijan Railways has introduced an online sale of tickets for domestic and foreign passenger rail runs, and launched new express train carrying out Baku-Ganja-Baku rail run.
Number of cars in the country in 2011 exceeded one million. Several batches of London Taxi TX4 cars were purchased within Azerbaijan's Transport Ministry's program to replace taxi fleet in Baku.
Finally, in late 2011 an intellectual transport management system was commissioned in Baku, which enables monitoring and regulation of traffic movement on the capital's roads, and regulating public transport movement.
According to the Azerbaijani State Statistics Committee, in 2011, the cargo transportation by all transport means made up 203.5 million tons of cargo or 3.6 percent more than in 2010.
The private sector share in cargo transportation was 73.8 percent in 2011. Of the total cargo volume transported, 54 percent accounted for road transport, 29 percent - pipelines, 10.9 percent - railway and 6.1 percent - by sea.
The passenger transportation last year totaled 1.5 billion people, which is 7.5 percent more than the same period of 2010. Passenger transportation by automobile was 87.4 percent, metro - 12.2 percent.
Automobile transport took the lion share in the transport field of the country during this period. The cargo transportation by vehicles in 2011 made up 109.8 million tons of cargo or 9.9 percent more than the same period of 2010. Passenger transportation comprised 1.3 billion people (increased by 8.7 percent) with 96.4 percent people using buses and 3.6 percent - vehicles.
Freight turnover by motor transport during the period grew by 9.1 percent compared to the same period of 2010, and passenger turnover - by 11.6 percent.
The Azerbaijani railway transported 22.1 million tons of various cargo compared to 22.2 million tons during the same period of 2010.
The number of loaded carriages made up 694 on average per day and unloaded - 493. Average daily load of carriages in the northern direction is 30,900 tons and in western direction - 4,500 tons, but in the southern direction - 3,400 tons.
The cargo shipping via sea increased by 6.7 percent and amounted to 12.5 million tons compared to the same period of 2010. All cargo deliveries were implemented under the international operations. The volume of cargo processed in Azerbaijani ports was 11.9 million tons in January-December, which is 10.3 percent more than the same period of 2010.
About 57.9 percent of cargo shipping fell on oil and oil products, while 42.1 percent on dry cargo. In January-December 2011, volume of cargo import increased by 47.7 percent, the volume of international transit cargos increased by 7.5 percent. As of Jan.1, 2012, 72,000 tons of cargo left in the ports for import, which is 27.4 percent more compared to the same period of 2010.
In 2011, the export via oil pipelines made up 45.6 million tons. During this period, 75 percent or 34.5 million tons of oil was transported via the BTC (data provided by the State Statistics Committee).
Transportation via gas pipelines made up 18.7 bln cubic meters or 7.8 percent more than 2010. Some 30.9 % of the transported gas fell on South Caucasus Pipeline. Some 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas was transported via this pipeline.
In January-December 2011, the passenger transportation via airways totaled 1.4 million people, increasing by 37.1 percent compared to the same period of 2010. The private sector's share in this type of transport hit 3 percent.
In January-December 2011, 182.6 million passengers used metro or 0.8 percent more than 2010.
Some 49.1 million tons of cargo were transported through Azerbaijan via the Eurasian transport corridor in January-November or 4.7 percent more than the same period of 2010. Roughly 220.3 million passengers were transported within the corridor in January-November 2011 or 8.1 percent more than the same period of 2010.
Transit of cargo through the territory of Azerbaijan in 2011 totaled about 15.9 million tons.