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Baku Metro Receives Next Batch of Cutting-Edge Coaches from Russia

By Nargiz Mammadli July 1, 2021

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Metrovagonmash will deliver twelve five-car metro trains of the 81-765.4B / 766.4B series to Azerbaijan by 2023 / Baku Metro

Baku Metro's fleet of modern trainsets has been upgraded following the arrival of the new batch of cutting-edge Russia-made coaches this week.

Russia's leading transport machine-building company Metrovagonmash Company supplied four new subway trains to Azerbaijan on Wednesday as part of the contracts signed with Baku Metro in 2019.

“Metrovagonmash sent to Baku four subway trains each comprising five coaches. The train will be launched on the line after the proper adjustment and testing procedures. Thus, the number of cars of the Baku Metro, meeting the requirements of modern standards, will reach 95," Baku Metro officials said in a statement.

The fourth-generation trains are equipped with advanced technological innovations to help both the drivers and passengers feel safe and comfortable. The coaches of the new trains have spaces for passengers with limited mobility and areas for strollers and bicycles. The trains are designed for a direct connection between carriages without partitions between the coaches, which increases the capacity of the car by 15 percent, ensuring equal distribution of passengers along the train. 

The air conditioning and ventilation systems used by the cars is efficient, while its an automatic air purification system is equipped with ultraviolet bulbs, providing additional protection against viruses and bacteria, including the Covid-19 virus within the cars. The air conditioning system has been developed according to the technical conditions of the Baku Metro and adapted to local climatic conditions, which are able to work effectively during all four seasons.

The larger driver's cab is equipped with technical solutions and intelligent support systems that monitor the vigilance of the driver. The train also has a diagnostic system that collects, stores and transmits information to the driver's monitor.

A major upgrade of Baku’s metro fleet kicked off in 2015 when Metrovagonmash and French rolling stock manufacturer Alstom supplied three five-car trains to Azerbaijan. The Russian company has been a reliable supplier for the country since 1967 when the Baku Metro came online in Soviet Azerbaijan. As of 2020, there were nearly 300 cars that were produced by Metrovagonmash in the depots of the Baku Metro.

The contract that was signed with Metrovagomash in October 2019 addresses the production and procurement of 12 five-car metro trains of the 81-765.4B / 766.4B series. The contract covers the period from 2020 to 2023 and provides for the annual supply of 20 cutting-edge subway coaches to Azerbaijan. The first batch of trains was delivered in June 2020. The service lifecycle of the trains is 31 years.

The Baku Metro network consists of 26 stations in three main lines - red, green, and purple, which span 37 kilometers (over 23 mi). The latest commissioned station is “8 Noyabr” (November 8) named in honor of the Azerbaijani army’s victory in a war with Armenia in the Karabakh region last year.

Being the most popular means of mass transportation in the city, Baku’s metro is used by 600,000 people per day, according to data provided by the Azerbaijani government. Under the state-sponsored Conceptual Development Schedule, the overall number of stations will reach 76 on five different lines spanning 119 km (74 mi) by 2030. In addition, a total of 1,100 new top-notch coaches will be supplied by 2028.