Georgia and Azerbaijan have jointly inaugurated a new scheduled block train service connecting the Georgian Black Sea port of Poti with Azerbaijan’s logistics hubs near Baku. The first train was flagged off at a ceremony at the Port of Poti attended by senior executives of both national rail operators, marking a significant step toward strengthening Eurasian overland logistics.
The service, referred to by the companies as the Poti–Baku express block train, operates on a fixed, regular timetable and will carry full containers from Poti to ports and rail terminals around Baku, with a scheduled return movement of empty containers to Georgia. Operators say this predictability is a key advantage for cargo owners seeking reliable transit times.
“The new express service will enable cargo owners to plan logistics more accurately,” said Lasha Abashidze, Director General of Georgian Railways. He noted that fixed schedules and pre-defined tariffs allow businesses to know in advance when containers will arrive in Poti and when empty containers will be returned, a major improvement over ad-hoc movements. Abashidze also highlighted that the service is expected to generate additional revenue for Georgian Railways.
Azerbaijan Railways described the launch as a milestone for improving logistics efficiency across the region. At the departure ceremony, they emphasized that the block train will help significantly reduce transit times and cut costs related to terminal storage for both loaded and empty containers, addressing a key logistical challenge on international routes.
The Poti–Baku service runs along a strategic route that connects Black Sea ports with the Caspian Sea region, linking Batumi and Poti in Georgia, Tbilisi as an inland rail hub, and Absheron, Sumgait, and Alat near Baku and major shipping terminals in Azerbaijan. This rail connection is a crucial part of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, commonly known as the Middle Corridor, which stretches from China through Central Asia and the South Caucasus to Europe. The corridor competes with northern and southern alternatives and has been gaining traffic as shippers seek more reliable and geopolitically stable paths. In recent years, block train traffic arriving from China via the Middle Corridor has risen sharply, handling tens of thousands of container units.
The new service offers several benefits for businesses and the region. Predictable schedules and set tariffs will streamline freight planning and reduce the need for costly storage of containers at terminals, while shifting container traffic from trucks to rail eases pressure on road infrastructure and lowers carbon emissions. Reliable rail services like this also make the Middle Corridor more attractive to global shippers, particularly when combined with simplified end-to-end logistics solutions that allow cargo owners to book integrated rail and onward delivery services.
The Middle Corridor has seen growing investment and traffic volumes in recent years. The roughly 826-kilometer Baku–Tbilisi–Kars Railway, completed in 2017, established a direct rail connection across Azerbaijan and Georgia to Turkey, deepening integration of regional supply chains. Quality rail infrastructure, unified tariffs across jurisdictions, and regular block train services are part of broader efforts by Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan to make this overland route more competitive against sea and alternative land corridors.
