Belarusian Railway nearly doubles container shipments to Azerbaijan

The Belarusian Railway (BCh) has reported a significant increase in container shipments to Azerbaijan, with figures showing a 1.8-fold year-ob-year rise in 2023, Report informs with reference to BCh data.

In an effort to boost the export-import operations of Belarusian companies, the BCh has successfully expanded its container shipment to Azerbaijan by 1.8 times in 2023 relative to 2022. During the initial five months of 2024, the railway dispatched over 270,000 tons of freight.

The land route via the Astara border crossing, located on the Azerbaijan-Iran frontier, has proven particularly popular among shippers. In the first five months of 2024, the crossing saw approximately 34,000 tons of cargo pass through, marking a 1.2-fold year-on-year increase.

As part of the ongoing enhancements to the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), the Belarusian Railway, in collaboration with Russian Railways and Azerbaijan Railways, has established favorable conditions for container transport along the Belarus-Russia-Azerbaijan corridor. This collaborative service ensures the swift delivery of Belarusian goods to Azerbaijan, with transit times as short as seven days.