The modernised Baku–Tbilisi–Kars (BTK) railway entered full commercial operation on June 2, marked by an inauguration ceremony at the Akhalkalaki Railway and Logistics Complex in Georgia. The event brought together the transport ministers of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey, alongside representatives from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
The upgrade, carried out by Azerbaijan Railways and Georgian Railways, rebuilt 153 kilometres of existing track on the Georgian section and added a new 30.3-kilometre line segment. Annual freight capacity rose fivefold — from 1 million to 5 million tonnes. The Georgian segment runs 180 kilometres from Marabda to the Turkish border.
The BTK links Baku with Kars via Tbilisi and serves as the western spine of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route — the Middle Corridor.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze described the railway at the ceremony as a project of historic significance. A protocol on the upgrade was formally signed on May 18 in Baku by Azerbaijan's Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rashad Nabiyev and Georgia's Minister of Economy Mariam Kvrivishvili, in the presence of Presidents Aliyev and Kobakhidze.
The BTK first entered service in October 2017 but operated well below potential. The 2024–2026 modernisation resolves the primary infrastructure constraint on the corridor's cargo growth. The route's 826-kilometre length makes it one of the shortest overland connections between Asia and Europe.
CAW CONTEXT — MIDDLE CORRIDOR
BTK is the fixed western link in a corridor that stretches from China and Central Asia across the Caspian, through the South Caucasus, and into Turkey and Europe. Kazakhstan (ADY Container, KTZ Freight) and Uzbekistan are the primary shippers. The fivefold capacity increase matters most for container traffic — a segment that has been growing fast since 2022 as shippers sought alternatives to Russia. Monthly freight data from KTZ Freight and Georgian Railway are the leading indicators to watch. Next data point: June Middle Corridor statistics, expected late June.