The first Baku-Tbilisi passenger train, operated by Azerbaijan Railways, has arrived in the Georgian capital at 09:04 local time on Monday, 26 May. The service resumed after a six-year suspension caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The intercity train had been suspended since March 2020, when operations were halted because of the pandemic and the introduction of special quarantine measures.
The rail link between Baku and Tbilisi carries significance well beyond the convenience of an overnight journey. The Baku–Tbilisi corridor traces its origins to the 1883 Baku–Ganja–Tbilisi main railway line, one of the oldest rail routes in the region.
As a key component of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor, also known as the Middle Corridor, the route has helped strengthen economic ties, facilitate trade and support sustainable development across the region.
The line represents one of the shortest and most reliable transport routes linking Europe and Asia, and its operation has enhanced Azerbaijan’s logistics capabilities within the East–West transport corridor.
The restoration of passenger services follows direct diplomatic engagement between Azerbaijan and Georgia. A protocol of the bilateral coordination council was signed during a visit to Baku by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, who met Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
The document was signed by Georgia’s Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Mariam Kvrivishvili, and Azerbaijan’s Minister of Digital Development and Transport, Rashad Nabiev.
Both governments described the corridor as a strategic route linking the Caspian region with Turkey and wider international markets.
Although the Baku–Tbilisi passenger service has resumed, Azerbaijan continues to keep its land borders with neighbouring countries, including Russia and Iran, closed. The country shut its land borders in March 2020, citing the need to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The resumption of this rail service, despite broader border restrictions remaining in place, reflects the political importance attached to the Azerbaijan–Georgia connection.
The trains operating on the route were manufactured by Switzerland’s Stadler Rail, replacing the older rolling stock previously used on the line.
Departures from Baku are scheduled daily at 23:10, arriving in Tbilisi at 08:41 the following morning. Services from Tbilisi depart at 21:00 and arrive in Baku at 06:24. The timetable includes one hour for border and customs checks on each side.
Within Azerbaijan, trains stop at Bilajari, Yevlakh, Ganja, Ağstafa and Böyük Kəsik. In Georgia, services call at Gardabani before reaching Tbilisi.
Demand for the restored service has been strong from the outset. ADY said more than 1,000 tickets were sold shortly after bookings opened, including more than 400 in Baku and over 500 in Tbilisi.
An additional carriage was added to the first departure to accommodate demand, while the operator acknowledged that the surge in bookings caused temporary delays to its ticketing system.
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Passenger rail services between Baku and Tbilisi are expected to resume in 2026, after being suspended in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and regional border restrictions.
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