Daily passenger rail service between Tbilisi and Baku will resume on May 26 after a six-year break, according to the Georgian Government Administration.
The decision was announced following a meeting between Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on May 18, as part of the Georgian delegation’s official visit to Baku.
A protocol of the bilateral coordination council was signed, providing for the full commissioning of a new section of the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway.
The document was signed by Mariam Kvrivishvili, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, and Rashad Nabiyev, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Digital Development and Transport.
The agreement provides for both the technical expansion of infrastructure and the restoration of regular passenger service between the two capitals, which had been suspended for six years.
As a reminder, Azerbaijan closed its land borders during the COVID-19 pandemic and has repeatedly extended quarantine restrictions. Until now, entry into the country from Georgia and neighboring states was only possible by air.
Ministry of Economy: Baku-Tbilisi-Baku train to be launched from May 1