The strategy for the creation and development of inter-regional and transcontinental transport corridors, where Azerbaijan could play a role of an important transit country, continued in April:
- The railway ministries of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia have agreed to create the International Trans-Caspian Transportation Consortium.
Azerbaijani companies ADY Express and ACSC Logistics, Kazakhstan's KTZ Express and Georgia's Trans Caucasus Terminals LLC are the consortium members.
A decision was made following the meeting that the schedule of freight trains via this route will be determined in May.
The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route runs through China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Ukraine and goes to Europe.
The first test container train, running on the Shihezi (China)-Dostyk-Aktau-Alat route, arrived in the Baku International Sea Trade Port in August 2015.
- The railway ministries of Azerbaijan, Romania, Georgia and Moldova signed a memorandum on cooperation in the field of transit cargo transportation. The document was signed following the round table in Constanta, dedicated to the development of cargo transportation via the "Europe-Asia" corridor. The railway delegations from four countries attended the round table. The sides discussed the possibility of organizing cargo transportation from Europe to Asia via the Romanian port of Constanta and the Georgian port of Poti on the territory of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Iran, as well as in the opposite direction, solutions to problematic issues;
- A groundbreaking ceremony of the railway bridge over the Astarachay river was held in Astara city on the Azerbaijan-Iran border. The length of the bridge will be 82.5 meters, width - 10.6 meters. Two railway tracks will be laid there. The construction is planned to be completed by the end of the year. The bridge is a strategically important facility, which will connect the railways of Azerbaijan and Iran on the Astara (Azerbaijan) - Astara (Iran) section, which is part of the North-South international transport corridor. Currently, the sections of the Qazvin-Rasht and Astara (Iran) - Astara (Azerbaijan) railway are being constructed as part of the project. The North-South transport corridor is intended to connect Northern Europe with South-East Asia. It will connect the railways of Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia.
- ADY Ekspress Ltd, engaged in multimodal cargo transportation in Azerbaijan, and Lithuanian Railways JSC have signed an agreement on cargo transportation between the two countries in Vilnius. The sides discussed Azerbaijan's participation in the Viking railway project, as well as the prospects of increasing the cargo transportation volumes as part of the project. Viking combined transport train started running in 2003. Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia are the participants of the project. Bulgaria has also joined the project since 2012.
The necessary vehicles were purchased to be ready for a sharp increase in rail and ferry cargo transportation through the territory of the country:
- Uralvagonzavod, Russian Scientific and Production Corporation, has delivered 3,100 various freight carriages to Azerbaijan Railways JSC.
The carriages were delivered within 11 months. Among these carriages are 400 closed carriages, 400 flat carriages, 200 platforms for heavy tonnage container transportation, 1,000 gondola cars, 600 tank-cars, 300 grain carriers, 100 hoppers and 100 cement trucks;
- Russian Red Sormovo shipyard and Azerbaijani Caspian Marine Services Limited signed a contract for the construction and delivery of two RST27 tankers. According to the contract, the tankers will be delivered to the customer in 2016-2017.
Among other events in the transport sector in April:
- Azerbaijan and Latvia signed a protocol on the basis of agreements reached during the meeting of Commission on international relations between the representatives of the two countries' transport ministries.
The parties discussed the current state of international road transportation, current problems and prospects of development during the meeting.
Meanwhile, the increase in freight traffic through the North-South international transportation corridor, determination of a contingent of permits for 2016-2017 and other issues of mutual interest were also discussed during the meeting.
- Jahangir Asgarov, president of the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), and Robert Cekuta, the US ambassador in Baku, signed the Open Skies Agreement for the liberalization of air transport market between the two countries.
The bilateral agreement will simplify the process of organizing flights between the US and Azerbaijan, and contribute to the increase in the number of commercial flights.
The Open Skies Agreement stipulates the elimination of countries' interference in commercial decisions regarding the airlines' routes and pricing.
This allows the operators to render more reasonable and efficient services for passenger and cargo transportation.
- Baku Metro CJSC has put into operation the Bus Terminal and Memar Ajami stations through a new violet line. In the future, there will be 12 stations on the violet line, Nasimi Pashayev, spokesman for Baku Metro CJSC, said. The length of the platforms of both stations is 144 meters.
Some 595.6 million passengers were transported in Azerbaijan in January-April 2016 or by 1.8 percent more than in the same period of 2015, according to the Azerbaijani State Statistics Committee's report as of January-April 2016 said.
The Azerbaijani transport sector carried 66 million tons of cargo or by 3.8 percent less than in January-April 2015.
According to a report, the volume of non-oil cargo decreased by 0.3 percent, reaching 47.2 million tons.
Around 82.1 percent of the total volume of goods transported accounted for the private sector during this period.
Some 59.9 percent of all cargo were transported by vehicles, 30.6 percent - by pipelines, 7 percent - by railway, 2.5 percent - by ships.
Some 595.6 million people used passenger transport in January-April 2016, which is 1.8 percent more than in the same period of 2015. Most of the passengers were transported by vehicles (87.8 percent) and metro (12.1 percent).
Automobile transport takes the lion share in the transport field of the country. Some 39.6 million tons of cargo were transported by vehicles, which is 2.8 percent more than in the same period of 2015.
The volume of passenger transportation hit 522.7 million people (a 2.5 percent growth compared to Jan.-April 2015). Some 96.2 percent of the passengers were transported by buses and 3.8 percent - by cars.
Freight turnover by vehicles increased by 2.8 percent during the reporting period, while passenger turnover - by 2.5 percent.
Some 4.6 million tons of cargo were transported by railway in January-April or by 25.5 percent less than in January-April 2015.
On average, the number of loaded carriages made up 414 and unloaded - 389. Average daily load of carriages in the northern direction is 17,300 tons and in western direction 4,400 tons and southern direction - 1,500 tons.
Around 1.66 million tons of cargo were transported by ships during this period that is 36.1 percent less than in January-April 2015. Some 41.2 percent of the transported goods accounted for oil cargo. The volume of goods handled in Azerbaijani ports during this period amounted to 2.83 million tons.
The volume of international transit cargo handled in the ports hit 93.9 percent. As of May 1, 2016, around 32,200 tons of import cargo left in the ports for transportation.
Some 14.9 million tons of oil were transported via main oil pipelines in January-April. Some 78.6 percent or 11.72 million tons of oil accounted for BTC.
Some 1.6 million tons of transit oil were transported via the BTC in January-April.
Gas transportation via main gas pipelines made up 7.33 billion cubic meters in January-April 2016 or by 8.9 percent less than in January-April 2015. Some 34.3 percent of the transported gas fell to the South Caucasus Pipeline. Some 2.52 billion cubic meters of gas were transported via this pipeline.
Some 474,800 passengers were transported by air transport in January-April which is 4.3 percent less than in January-April 2015. Some 0.1 percent of shipment by this kind of transport accounted for the private sector.
Some 71.8 million people were transported by metro decreasing by 2.8 percent compared to the same period of 2015.
Some 11.8 million tons of cargo were transported through the Eurasian transport corridor TRACECA (Europe-Caucasus-Asia) in January-March 2016 - by 12.4 percent less than in the same period of 2015, the Azerbaijani State Statistics Committee said.
The total volume of cargo transportation mainly decreased due to a decrease in cargo transportation by railway and sea by 24.7 and 44 percent respectively. The volume of cargo transportation by vehicles for the period increased by 2.8 percent.
Around 64.1 percent (7.59 million tons) of the total volume of transported cargo fell to vehicles, 27 percent (3.19 million tons) - railway, 8.9 percent (1.05 million tons) - ships.
Some 82.7 million passengers were transported through the territory of Azerbaijan in January-March 2016, which is 2.3 percent more than in January-March 2015.