BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 11. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva reviewed new electric buses that will be put into service in Nakhchivan city and inspected reconstruction works being carried out on the railway infrastructure of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic on August 11.
The information was released by the Press Service of the President of Azerbaijan.
Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rashad Nabiyev and Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC Rovshan Rustamov informed the President and the First Lady about the completed works.
During the briefing, President Ilham Aliyev was first informed about railway construction projects related to the Zangezur Corridor. It was noted that after completion, the railway infrastructure will have an annual cargo capacity of 15 million tonnes.
A 30-kilometre section covering the Horadiz–Yukhari Marjanli–Soltanli stations has been temporarily put into operation, and cargo transportation to the Araz Valley Economic Zone Industrial Park has been carried out since May 2024. So far, a total of 43,000 tonnes of cargo have been transported along this route.
The design and construction works for the Nakhchivan railway line began in 2025. Currently, the railway line is 188 kilometres long, while according to the new project, the length will increase to 194.2 kilometres. Reconstruction of 10 stations and three passenger platforms is planned.
Design work has been completed and construction has started on the seven-kilometre section from Salammalik station to the state border with Armenia. Part of the engineering and infrastructure works has already been completed, while other sections are ongoing.
Seven kilometres of rails and 7,000 sleepers have already been delivered to the area. Installation of the upper structure of a 6.3-kilometre section of the railway is planned to be completed by the end of September.
The remaining section, located 700 metres from the border, will begin construction after mine clearance operations are completed and the TRIPP route projects are coordinated.
It was also noted that the railway section from Sadarak station to the Turkish border will be technically and logistically integrated with the future Kars–Igdir–Dilucu railway project being implemented by Türkiye.
During the visit, information was also provided about the new electric buses planned for Nakhchivan city.
Under the presidential decree on additional measures to regulate public transport in Nakhchivan, 60 BYD electric buses assembled in Azerbaijan have been purchased. Each bus is 8.7 metres long and can carry 53 passengers.
Charging stations have been installed, and depot infrastructure has been modernised to provide maintenance services.
A digital dispatch and monitoring system has been introduced, while passengers will be able to make cashless payments using bank cards, QR codes, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
The project will allow high-quality passenger services for around 4.5 million passengers annually across nine routes in Nakhchivan city.
A monitoring centre will track bus movements in real time, ensuring safer and more efficient transportation.
The launch of BakuBus LLC operations in Nakhchivan is expected to improve public transport services and fully transition payment systems to cashless formats.
The nearly three-hectare depot includes maintenance and repair facilities, automated accounting systems, electric charging stations and a washing complex capable of servicing 15 buses per hour.
The depot will operate in two shifts and provide employment for 200 drivers and 22 administrative staff. Monthly salaries for drivers will exceed 1,000 manats.
