Azerbaijan and Georgia have signed a protocol on the completion and final acceptance of modernisation works on the Baku – Tbilisi – Kars (BTK) railway corridor. The document concerns the coordinated implementation of new construction and upgrading works on the Georgian section of the BTK line between Marabda and Kartsakhi on the border with Turkey. At the same time, the BTK Railways joint venture (JV) began operations. The JV for the management of the line was established by subsidiaries of Azerbaijani state railway ADY and the Marabda-Kartsakhi Railway. In 2024, ADY carried out a five-stage modernisation programme on the 184 km Georgian section. This included the refurbishment of 13 stations, 55 bridges, 8 substations, 320 buildings and other civil engineering structures. A total of 30.3 km of track was newly built, and 153.1 km of existing track were upgraded. A bogie-changing facility was also constructed. As a result, the line’s annual capacity increased from 1 million t to 5 million t. On the Azerbaijani side, ADY completed extensive repair work on the Baku – Böyük Kəsik section, converted the Böyük Kəsik – Hajigabul section to alternating current (AC) in 2024, and modernised power, communications and signalling systems.
