Azerbaijan's new Chinese-built trains to mainly serve Baku–Gazakh route

The new electric trains Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) will purchase from China's CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive are primarily intended for the Baku–Gazakh–Baku route.

ADY told Report in response to an inquiry that this would allow trains currently serving the route to be reassigned to other destinations.

"The purchase of new trains will therefore enable us not only to renew the existing fleet but also to distribute rolling stock more efficiently across routes and introduce passenger services to new destinations.

"We reiterate that plans to gradually restore passenger services toward Yalama, Minjivan and Astara by 2030, and to launch the Baku–Khankandi route, do not envisage deploying the four newly purchased trains directly on those routes. These plans will be implemented by expanding the fleet and reallocating existing rolling stock," ADY said.

The company said it would continue efforts to meet growing passenger demand, improve service quality and expand rail connections across the country.

On October 27, ADY and CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive signed a contract for four new passenger trains, each consisting of seven carriages. The trains will be approximately 135 meters long, with a maximum operating speed of 140 kilometers per hour and a design speed of 160 kilometers per hour.

Each train will have 434 seats across three classes: first, business and standard.

Under the contract, the trains are scheduled for delivery within two years.