One of the main goals of Azerbaijan in the context of economic diversification is to transform the country into an international transport hub. The favorable geographical location at the intersection of East-West and North-South routes plays a key role, but requires modernization of infrastructure and strengthening of international cooperation. The development of multimodal transportation – rail, road, sea and air – has become a strategic direction.
In 2024, Azerbaijan Railways transported 18.5 million tons of cargo, of which 7.3 million tons were transit shipments – an increase of 5.7% compared to 2023. Particular attention is paid to the East-West route, where transportation volumes exceeded 3.2 million tons, and the transportation of oil and oil products increased by 11%. The improvement of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway increased its capacity to 5 million tons per year, which strengthened the potential of the Middle Corridor.
The Middle Corridor saw a significant increase in container traffic in 2024. 358 container block trains arrived from China to Azerbaijan, of which 287 have already been unloaded. For the first time, a freight train from Xi’an reached Baku in just 11 days, marking a milestone in the development of transit potential.
By 2030, the country aims to increase transit traffic by 2-4 times, focusing on strategic cargo, digitalization and international coordination.