Railways in
Azerbaijan
Main railway station in Bakı
The first railway in Azerbaijan opened in 1880 between the capital, Bakı (Baku) and the settlement of Imeni Kirova (present day Suraxanı, now a suburb of Bakı). It was followed in 1883 by a line from Bakı to Tiflis (present day Tbilisi, Georgia). Because Azerbaijan was then part of the Russian Empire, it was natural that the new railways should be constructed to the Russian standard gauge of 1524mm (later revised to 1520mm), even though there was at that time no rail connection with Russia. Further railway development was at the same gauge, almost 3000km of line being constructed under the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union.
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, conflict in the region caused considerable changes to the railways of Azerbaijan. The borders with Armenia were closed, and all through rail services discontinued. Rail services also ceased in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, with its then predominantly ethnic Armenian population. The railway running through Armenian territory connecting the Azerbaijani exclave of Naxçıvan to the main part of the country lost its service, leaving Naxçıvan effectively isolated. The international connection from Naxçıvan to Yeraskh in Armenia has since reopened.
The main part of the country has rail links with Georgia and Russia. A new international link between Astara and the city of the same name in Iran opened in 2016. It is constructed to dual (1520mm and 1435mm) gauge and will eventually link with the remainder of the Iranian network. Naxçıvan has international links with Iran, and as noted above, Armenia.
A train ferry links the Caspian Sea port of Alat with Kuryk in Kazakhstan and Türkmenbaşy in Turkmenistan.
In 2021, tripartite talks between Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia took place regarding the reopening of the important southern connection linking Naxçıvan with the rest of Azerbaijan. Work has started on the eastern section, but there are ongoing issues concerning the status of a section of the line through Armenian territory. An Iranian proposal envisages a line through northern Iran bypassing this setcion.
In 2025, work began on a new 224km standard gauge line from Naxçıvan via the Dilucu Border Gate to Kars, Türkiye.
© 2004-2026 Glyn Williams
Photo image by Gulustan from Wikimedia Commons