Train on Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway departs from Mersin

By Serkan Avci

Mersin, TURKEY (AA) - The first train, which operates between Turkey and Azerbaijan through the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway, departed from the Turkish southern port city of Mersin on Wednesday.

The train, consisting of 16 wagons and 32 containers, was loaded with 650 tons of agricultural products and ceramic adhesive. It will cover a distance of 2,100 kilometers (1,304 miles) to reach Azerbaijan’s capital Baku.

The first trip was launched with an inauguration ceremony on Oct. 30 in Baku, where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili were also present.

The train reached Mersin on November 4, making first stop in Turkey's northeastern Kars province and covered 1,258 kilometers (781.68 miles) in 30 hours.

The 826-kilometer (513-mile) Baku-Tiblisi-Kars railway project was launched in 2007 and construction began in 2008.

The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway built a significant bridge between Turkey, China and Europe, Veysi Kurt, head of Turkish State Railways (TCDD) Transportation Inc. said.

"We plan to get the train back to Baku in 75-80 hours. This is an important timeframe. It is important to transmit shipment to Baku from Mersin in this time slot for our exporters and industrialists," he stated.

"We aim to reach Turkmenistan in 100 hours and Kazakhstan's capital city of Astana in 180 hours," Kurt added.

He said the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars corridor is essential as it connects China and Europe via Turkey and provides advantage of time, climate and cost.