Tbilisi Dry Port, the first modern railway container and cargo terminal in the capital, has officially opened. The facility has received both customs zone authorization and the first railway infrastructure operation and safety certificate from the Georgian Railway Agency.
According to the Ministry of Economy, the port is strategically located as an integral link between Georgia’s main seaports—Poti, Batumi, and in the future, Anaklia—and is expected to play a vital role in trade flows across the Caucasus and Central Asia.
“Globally, and particularly in countries participating in the Middle Corridor, port, terminal, and railway infrastructure is developing rapidly due to rising demand and growing cargo volumes—especially in containerized freight, the modern standard for transportation,” the Ministry noted.
The port is designed for large-scale, efficient logistics operations and is being developed in three phases across a 286,000 sq.m. area. The first phase, now completed and operational, involved an investment of $21 million and includes:
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A 110,000 sq.m. operational area, including a 50,000 sq.m. container yard with three new container handling machines
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Three 600-meter railway tracks
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Two in-house locomotives connected to the Tbilisi marshalling yard
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2,500 sq.m. of covered warehouse space
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Various types of crane equipment and certified weighing systems
The terminal currently has the capacity to process 100,000 TEUs annually. Once all phases are complete, that capacity will double to 200,000 TEUs. The second phase includes plans for an expanded container yard, additional rail sidings, and a modern 9,800 sq.m. Class A warehouse.
Tbilisi Dry Port not only supports Georgian seaports but also functions as a container hub and depot for international shipping lines, improving container handling and transit operations. It plays a key role in the Middle Corridor, facilitating the movement of containers from China and the Far East by rail. The facility also offers flexible cargo routing options for shipments from Central Asia and the Far East to Tbilisi via rail, truck, or owner’s containers.
The port welcomed its first inbound train on May 3, 2019, arriving from Batumi with 30 fully loaded 20-foot containers from the MSC shipping line—each carrying over 26 tons—demonstrating the capacity and environmental benefits of rail freight over road transport.
Shippers, carriers, and cargo owners now have access to high-quality multimodal logistics services that streamline supply chains and enhance Georgia’s transit potential. The port’s strategic location offers direct access to international highways through Tbilisi’s city center, proximity to the national railway network, and is just 70 km from the borders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, and 7 km from Tbilisi International Airport.
The project is a collaboration between Abu Dhabi Ports Group, Norwegian Wilhelmsen Port Service, and local partner Inveco.
