NEW STAGE OF REFORMS

Azerbaijan's transport system has undergone large-scale changes over the past 20 years, thanks to which the country has confidently become one of the indispensable transport centres. Despite the absence of access to the World Ocean, the country has successfully established global transit routes and corridors on its territory. Azerbaijan's emergence as a pivotal transport hub in Eurasia is largely attributable to the East-West and North-South projects.

While international transport through the country is generally efficient, challenges do arise in terms of domestic city traffic, particularly in Baku, which can experience significant congestion. In this regard, the adoption of a new state programme is recommended. The main reforms included in this programme were discussed at a meeting on transport issues chaired by President Ilham Aliyev.

"Traditional" Resistance

Azerbaijan's transport sector has seen significant progress over the past 20 years, as evidenced by the following figures. It is noteworthy that few countries worldwide can claim to have renovated their entire major infrastructure in this sector in such a brief span. During this period, 21,000 kilometres of motorways have been constructed and repaired, 335 bridges and overpasses have been built, and 45 tunnels and 163 overground and underground crossings have been constructed.

Significant investments have been directed towards railway infrastructure, with over 1,500 kilometres of new railways constructed and 1,800 kilometres of existing lines upgraded. The project has also involved the acquisition of new rolling stock, and the introduction of the Absheron ring line, spanning over 90 kilometres, has further expanded the railway network. It is also important to note that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway (BTK) was constructed on the initiative of the Azerbaijani government. The project faced significant challenges, including strong initial political resistance, as well as physical and financial difficulties. As one observer noted, "I can say this now. The US was particularly opposed to it. This opposition was driven by the US's pro-Armenian policy, as it was perceived that the project would disadvantage Armenia. Consequently, the American state exerted significant pressure on the then Georgian leadership to prevent its implementation," Ilham Aliyev stated. However, a prolonged negotiation process with both the Georgian side and high-ranking representatives of the American state was ultimately successful in overcoming this obstacle. "History has proven the accuracy of our assessments. Today, America's partners in Europe have expressed significant interest in the BTC. They also expressed significant interest in transporting goods from Central Asia to Europe and vice versa through the territory of Azerbaijan. The success of the BTC railway has made these ambitions a reality.

However, Azerbaijan is not accustomed to such obstacles in the implementation of projects of global importance. Examples of such projects include the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the establishment of the Southern Gas Corridor. These projects, which today ensure the energy independence of several European countries, were almost boycotted for absurd reasons at the beginning. However, the Azerbaijani side's confidence in the benefits of these projects helped to overcome all obstacles, as was the case with the BTC. Furthermore, the works on Georgian territory were financed through a loan of nearly $1 billion provided by Azerbaijan to the country at an extremely favourable interest rate. This initiative has led to the establishment of a new transportation route, facilitating the transportation of goods from various countries to the Mediterranean Sea, Europe, and Türkiye. Last year, Azerbaijan financed the expansion of this road and increased its capacity to 5 million tonnes. 

Air and Sea

Azerbaijan's international transport infrastructure has seen significant development in air transport over the past 20 years. During this period, the airports in Baku, Nakhchivan, Ganja and Lankaran were reconstructed. In addition, four new airports have been constructed: Gabala, Zagatala, Fuzuli and Zangilan. Another is scheduled to open in Lachin this year.

"Heydar Aliyev International Airport has set a new record by handling over 7 million passengers last year. According to the information provided to me, the Ministry's analysis shows that this figure will increase even more, and a proposal has been put forward to build a new terminal complex at Heydar Aliyev International Airport. I in turn supported it," President Ilham Aliyev said.

It is known that the design and feasibility study of the new terminal complex are in the works.

In addition to airspace, Azerbaijan is also successfully developing the sea. One of the important projects of recent years is the construction of a new commercial sea port. The initial phase of the project was designed to have a cargo handling capacity of 15 million tonnes, but this has since been increased to 25 million tonnes. The necessary work has already begun. 

The activities of the shipyard, which has already reached its full capacity, are also related to maritime issues. Currently, six vessels of different sizes are being constructed there. "In parallel, we have raised our activities in the Black Sea to a new level. While low-volume vessels of Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company previously operated there, we have now acquired four large Aframax tankers with a carrying capacity of 100,000 tonnes," I. Aliyev added.

Traffic Jams in Baku

Turning once more to the issue of transport, it should be noted that the implementation of the Baku City Mobility Transformation project has already begun. As outlined by the Minister of Digital Development and Transport, Rashad Nabiyev, the capital of Azerbaijan is following the example of other major cities worldwide and moving from a "car-centric city" approach to a "people-centric city" approach. He stated that 112 kilometres of bus lanes have been constructed to enhance the frequency of passenger transport by buses, ensure the speed of movement and improve the quality of service. Concurrently, the number of buses in operation has been augmented from 1,750 to 2,160. Projects have also been implemented to encourage pedestrian traffic.

Similar reforms were implemented for taxi services. As a result, the number of taxis was reduced from 67,000 to 30,000, and the average age of vehicles was decreased from 15 to 8 years. Most significantly, the number of short-distance trips, which had previously resulted in traffic congestion in the direction of the city centre, has been reduced by approximately 32%.

Anar Rzayev, Chairman of the Board of the Land Transport Agency of Azerbaijan, has announced the development of a new programme to enhance Baku's transport network, which aims to achieve three key objectives: the creation of faster, safer and more environmentally-friendly mobility options. At the same time, full digitalisation of passenger practice and implementation of some system changes are envisaged.

He also highlighted that significant progress has already been made in this regard. Notably, the number of buses in the city has been augmented by 440 units, representing a 25% increase over the past two years. Of these, 161 are electric buses, which have a significant impact on improving the environmental situation in Baku.

Consequently, the number of passengers transported by buses in 2023-2024 increased by 41 million, while rail and metro services saw an additional 11 million passengers. Concurrently, the micro-mobile network and service, established in the latter months of 2024, has facilitated over 700,000 journeys, with projections indicating an increase to 2.5 million by the programme's conclusion.

Large-scale plans are in place for the development of the Baku metro, with the construction of 10 new stations envisaged by the state programme, in addition to the 7 already built from 2008 to date. A total of 266 new generation metro cars have been procured, and this process is ongoing.

The collective impact of these measures is expected to elevate Baku's standing in international rankings, enabling it to join the select group of top-performing cities worldwide. The city's residents have expressed their support for any actions or projects that aim to address the issue of traffic congestion in Baku.