Tbilisi, August 3, 2025 — Georgia is actively working to increase freight volumes along the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars (BTK) railway line, General Director of Georgian Railway JSC, Lasha Abashidze, told reporters on Saturday.
The BTK railway, launched under a trilateral agreement signed in 2007 between Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey, officially began freight operations on October 30, 2017. Construction on the project began in 2008, and infrastructure expansion is currently ongoing on the Georgian section of the route.
“This year we’re already seeing growth in freight traffic. Our priority is to boost the volume of Chinese cargo moving through the Middle Corridor. That’s why we came to the site—to ensure smooth operations and reinforce our efforts to increase annual freight volumes on this route,” said Abashidze.
During his visit, a freight train from China arrived at Georgia’s Akhalkalaki station and will continue westward through Turkey toward Europe.
Train operations on the BTK line are currently running in test mode as infrastructure upgrades continue. Georgian officials consider the route a vital component of the Middle Corridor, offering a strategic alternative for transcontinental trade between China and Europe.
