Baku, Sumgayit get connected by railway

/By AzerNews/

By Nigar Orujova

Azerbaijan’s capital Baku and industrial city Sumgayit are now connected with a renovated railway and modern double-decker trains.

President Ilham Aliyev attended a ceremony to see off the first train on the Baku-Sumgayit route on September 12.

Azerbaijani Railways planned to establish a railroad connection between the two cities by the start of the academic year.

The overhaul of the passenger section of the railway line was completed in early September.

Along the route are located passenger stations: Baku, Kishly, Bilajari, Khirdalan, Gyuzdek, Sumgayit, 10th and 6th checkpoints and dividing points.

High-speed double-decker Stadler trains will start operating in full swing on the Baku-Sumgayit route starting September 15. Until then, the population can enjoy two high-speed trains free of charge.

The fare on the route will be determined by the Tariff Council by September 15.

Passengers will be able to pay for a trip with single travel card called BakiKart, used in the subway and BakuBus, said Samir Ganili, the head of the information and communication technologies department at Azerbaijan Railways.

Passengers can purchase tickets by cash at the ticketing office or from special machines, and in the future, it will be possible to pay via BakiKart, as well as a bank card, he added.

Starting from September 15, eight trains will run the route, three of which are Stadler trains, while the remaining five are thoroughly renovated old trains produced in Riga.

At present, Azerbaijan has three double-decker trains with two more trains to arrive by the end of the year. The trains have 396 seats, including 84 business class seats, and have a total capacity of 919 passengers. Passengers can enjoy WiFi during their ride.

The approximate schedule of trains is determined taking into account peak hours.

From 6:00 to 12:00 and 16:00 to 21:00 trains will depart from Baku to Sumgayit and back within half-hour intervals. From 12:00 to 16:00 trains will move at hourly intervals. However, the schedule may be changed in the future.

In the first stage, the route will benefit about 20,000-30,000 people. Later, however, it is expected that the number of passengers will exceed 100,000 people.

As of now, the electric trains that run between Azerbaijan’s two biggest cities Baku and Sumgayit on the Baku-Balajari-Sumgayit route arrive at their destination in one hour 22 minutes. After the renovation, the time is reduced to 40 minutes.