A delegation led by Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC Rovshan Rustamov is on an official visit to Georgia, the Georgian bureau of Report informs.
The purpose of the visit is to get acquainted with the progress of construction and reconstruction work on the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway line.
Work to expand the BTK began last year and is nearing completion.
During the visit, the main focus will be on the speedy completion of work on the Georgian part of the BTK and increasing the volume of cargo transportation. The project is planned to be fully completed in the first quarter of 2024.
This year, railway modernization projects in Georgia will also be completed. This will significantly reduce the time of cargo transportation between Asia and Europe, which is a necessary condition for attracting additional cargo flows. At the initial stage, the volume of cargo transportation through the BTK will be 6.5 million tons per year, and it is planned to transport up to 1 million passengers.
Through BTK, cargo can be delivered from Beijing (China) to London (UK) in 12-15 days, while cargo transportation from Europe to Asia by sea via Africa takes 45-62 days, and delivery of goods from China to Europe via Russia - 32 days.