Baku suburban railway
The Baku suburban railway (Azerbaijani: Bakı şəhərətrafı dəmir yolu) or Absheron Circular line (Azerbaijani: Abşeron dairəvi xətti) is a 91 km (57 mi) commuter rail service which began in 2019, serving the Azerbaijani capital Baku.[2]
| Baku suburban railway | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Overview | |||
| Owner | Azerbaijan Railways | ||
| Locale | Baku, Azerbaijan | ||
| Transit type | Commuter rail | ||
| Number of lines | 2 | ||
| Number of stations | 15 | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | 21 May 2019 | ||
| Operator(s) | Azerbaijan Railways | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length | 91 km (57 mi)[1] | ||
| Track gauge | 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) Russian gauge | ||
| |||
Background
In 2016, Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways Javid Gurbanov confirmed that work was underway on a 25 km (16 mi) railway line to Heydar Aliyev International Airport from Baku's main station.[3]
In 2018, president Ilham Aliyev announced funding for a suburban rail service for Baku.[4] The 100 million manat project was to include upgrading the existing railway between Baku and Sumqayıt via Biləcəri, as well as bring back into use the disused route connecting the two cities via Sabunçu and Pirşağı. The plans included 23 stations on the route, which would also have branches to Dübandi and Maştağa, with a branch serving the airport being built in a later phase.
The initial phase of the service was launched in May 2019, connecting Baku station with Sabunçu via four intermediate stations.[5][6] By 2020, the line was extended to Sumqayit, linking to the existing Baku–Sumqayit railway to form a circle line.
Stations
At its 2019 opening, the suburban railway served seven stations.[7] In 2020 seven stations were added, bringing the total to 14.[8]
History
The first Elektrichka ran on July 6, 1926, along the Baku–Sabunchi line in Soviet Azerbaijan.
Rolling stock
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Future plans
13 more stations are planned toward to the East, including Baku International Airport.
References
- "Baku circular railway completed". Railway Gazette. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- "Baku suburban railway planned". Railway Gazette. 21 February 2018.
- "Suburban railway line being expanded". AzerNews. 28 September 2016.
- "Funding approved for Baku suburban railway". Railway Pro. 14 March 2018.
- "Baku suburban railway phase one launched". Railway Gazette. 24 May 2019.
- "President inaugurates Baku suburban railway first phase". Metro Report. 24 May 2019.
- "Railway line to be laid to Heydar Aliyev International Airport". AzerNews. 22 May 2019.
- "Abşeron dairəvi dəmir yolu bu gündən etibarən işləyir – Cədvəl". banker.az (in Azerbaijani). 20 March 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
External links
