BTK to increase Turkish-Azerbaijani trade turnover to $ 15 billion

With new investments in high-speed trains and conventional lines, Turkey will expand its railway network to 16,675 kilometers (10,361 miles) by 2023, said the Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoglu.

Report informs, citing foreign media, that in line with the 2023 vision, the government aims to increase the share of railways in passenger transportation from 1.3% to 3.8%.

"We are working at a great speed to produce national technologies to rehabilitate our existing lines and develop service-oriented, smart, and value-added transportation," the minister emphasized.

Stating a total of 403 new generation national freight wagons have been put into service so far, he said 100 more freight wagons would be added to this figure.

Noting Turkey has progressed in railway transportation, he stressed: "By 2023, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway line connecting Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Georgia will contribute to the trade target of $15 billion set by Turkey and Azerbaijan."

Turkey invested 169.2 billion liras ($21.5 billion) in railway investments between 2003 and 2020, Karaismailoglu concluded.