Azerbaijan has begun construction of a section of the Zangezur corridor and is already halfway through. Completion of the Azerbaijani section of the 110 km line, which will include nine stations, is scheduled for the end of 2024. With the new line, Azerbaijan is aiming for free passage through the southern part of Armenia in order to create a direct link to its exclave of Nakhichevan. Although relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan remain tense, Azerbaijan has built almost 70 km of the planned railway line to the Armenian border. The importance of the corridor for Azerbaijan lies in its potential integration into the Middle Corridor, which represents an alternative line to the existing lines through Russia and by sea. As an alternative to the Zangezur corridor, Azerbaijan has reached an agreement with its southern neighbour Iran to use a line through its territory, which also requires construction work, including the building of border bridges.
