Azerbaijan’s primary railway operator, Azerbaijan Railways (ADY), reported that 83% of the design work for Horadiz-Aghband railway line is final, while the construction and installation work reached 57% completion.
The Horadiz-Aghband railway line is a crucial segment of the Zangezur corridor project.
The demining process along the 110.4 km railway line's right-of-way and special protection zone is complete, with efforts underway to clear explosives in areas requiring additional widening. These explosives were buried during the years of Armenian occupation.
"Rail-sleeper frames have been installed along 72 km of the Horadiz-Aghband railway line, extending to 83.4 km when including sidetracks, and the installation of long rails has been fully completed along 65.6 km. Currently, earthworks and the construction of engineering structures are progressing in the 72 km to 89 km section," stated Kanan Rzayev, ADY’s Deputy Director of Construction Project Management Department.
Additionally, a gallery, an artificial protective structure, is being built at the 75th km mark of the railway. This 144-meter gallery, the first of its kind in Azerbaijan's railway infrastructure, is designed to protect the line from potential rockfall in the mountainous areas along its path. The structure can also accommodate the future electrification of the railway line.
The Horadiz-Aghband railway line also includes a significant 771-meter bridge, consisting of 23 spans, and a 1,071-meter tunnel, both of which are under construction. The bridge is noted as the largest of its kind in the region.
Azerbaijan has been actively restoring the vital Horadiz-Aghband railroad since the end of the conflict in the country’s Karabakh (Garabagh) region. The rail line stretches from the Horadiz station in the Fuzuli district to the Azerbaijan-Armenia state border in the Zangilan district as an integral part of the Zangezur corridor.
The Zangezur corridor is expected to add momentum to the growing trade volumes between Europe and Asia. The route will restore the connection between Azerbaijan’s mainland with its southwestern exclave of Nakhchivan, with a further spur into the Turkish market.
The Zangezur corridor is one of the biggest construction projects of its kind in the South Caucasus, and it is expected to create plenty of economic benefits for the region.
Azerbaijani authorities are convinced that such regional transportation projects as the Zangezur Corridor could foster peace and cooperation and create new business opportunities. According to some analysts, the corridor will form an essential link in the East-West and North-South transport corridors to benefit all regional countries and contribute to the Eurasian trade and transport communications that incorporate the regional economies with a nominal GDP of $1.1 trillion.
Following the 2020 Second Karabakh War, Azerbaijan and Armenia initially agreed to unblock transport links, particularly direct route between Azerbaijan’s mainland and its Nakhchivan region via Armenia. The agreement aimed to enable international transport through the countries’ domestic infrastructure and foster regional connectivity.
Central to this agreement was the Zangezur corridor. Before the First Karabakh War (1991-1994), a railway connected Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, to Nakhchivan. However, this crucial route was destroyed and looted during the occupation of Azerbaijan’s Fuzuli, Jabrayil, and Zangilan districts by Armenia.
Despite the initial agreement, Armenia later revoked its consent to open the Zangezur corridor, citing concerns over potential encroachment on its borders. In response, Azerbaijan shifted its focus and agreed with Iran to proceed with the construction of a multimodal route as an alternative.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have agreed to remove the clause related to unblocking regional transport routes, including the Zangezur corridor project, from the peace deal currently under negotiation.
Elchin Amirbayov, the special representative of the President of Azerbaijan, said that this mutual agreement has eased ongoing negotiations, increasing the likelihood of swiftly concluding the peace treaty.
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