Baku–Tbilisi passenger rail resumes May 26

Georgia and Azerbaijan said on May 18 that daily passenger rail service between Tbilisi and Baku will resume on May 26, restoring a cross-border link that has been suspended for six years. The announcement came during Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s visit to Baku, where the two governments also signed transport and energy agreements. Georgian government statements carried by local media said the first trains would run next week. The route connects two South Caucasus capitals that had been without regular passenger rail service since 2020. ### Why is the line restarting now? May 18 was the date both sides publicly tied to the restart. Georgian government statements reported by 1TV and Interpressnews said a protocol of the bilateral coordination council was signed in Baku and confirmed that daily passenger rail traffic between Tbilisi and Baku would be restored from May 26. Irakli Kobakhidze was in Azerbaijan on an official visit when the announcement was made. Interpressnews said the signing ceremony was attended by Kobakhidze and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, linking the rail decision to a broader package of bilateral talks. (1tv.ge) ### Who signed the rail documents? Mariam Kvrivishvili, Georgia’s minister of economy and sustainable development, and Rashad Nabiev, Azerbaijan’s minister of digital development and transport, signed the document tied to the rail restart, according to Georgian and Azerbaijani reports. 1TV and News.az both identified the same two ministers as signatories. (interpressnews.ge) The protocol also referred to the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway section. Georgian government language quoted by 1TV said the new Baku-Tbilisi-Kars section would be put into full operation under the signed protocol. News.az carried the same formulation in its report. ### How long has passenger service been suspended? (1tv.ge) 2020 was the year the service stopped, according to Imedi. The outlet said the railway connection had been suspended because of restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that regular operations would now resume. Six years is the period cited across the reporting. (1tv.ge) News.az, 1TV and Interpressnews each described the restart as the end of a six-year break in passenger rail traffic between the two capitals. ### What does the restart change for travelers? Daily service is the central operational detail confirmed so far. (info.imedi.ge) Georgian government statements said the trains would run daily from May 26, giving travelers a regular overland option between Tbilisi and Baku. Azerbaijan’s land border regime has made the rail link more notable. (news.az) Imedi said land borders between the two countries had remained closed for passenger traffic for the past six years, making the restored train an alternative for connectivity between Georgia and Azerbaijan. That description was Imedi’s characterization of the practical effect of the restart. (1tv.ge) ### What else was agreed in Baku? A package of energy and transport agreements was signed alongside the rail document, according to Interpressnews. The outlet reported a 20-year intergovernmental agreement on electricity supply and transit terms, as well as a 20-year extension of a 2003 gas sale and purchase agreement from Azerbaijan. (info.imedi.ge) Ilham Aliyev and Irakli Kobakhidze also discussed regional connectivity projects during the visit, Interpressnews said, citing the Georgian government administration. The report said Georgia had offered to host the next session of the intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation in the near future. (interpressnews.ge) ### What happens on May 26? May 26 is the scheduled restart date for the first daily passenger trains between Tbilisi and Baku. Georgian government statements reported by 1TV, Interpressnews and other regional outlets said service would resume that day following the May 18 signing in Baku. (1tv.ge) (interpressnews.ge)