Two years on, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Line Carries 275,000 tons of Freight

The railway line connecting Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia, establishing a freight and passenger link between Europe and China, has carried 275,000 tons of freight since it was launched in October 2017, Turkey's transport and infrastructure minister said.

Cahit Turhan's remarks come on the occasion of the second anniversary of the inauguration of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway line, which was launched by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, his Azerbaijani counterpart İlham Aliyev and then-Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili in Alyat, Azerbaijan.

Officials from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan also attended the inauguration ceremony.

Providing the shortest rail link between Europe and Asia, BTK plays an important role in the implementation of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the North-South Transport Corridor.

Starting in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, trains stop in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, pass through gauge-changing facilities in the Georgian town of Akhalkalaki and end their journey in the eastern Turkish town of Kars.

This project connects not only three countries, but also the U.K., France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and China. The 826-kilometer railway line, extending from Baku to Kars, complements a major part of the Middle Corridor with the Caspian Pass line.