Railways
There are 2,932 km (1,822 mi) kilometers of rail tracks out of which only 2,117 km (1,315 mi) kilometers are in common carrier service and 810 km (500 mi) kilometers are industrial lines. 240 kilometres of rail tracks were occupied by Armenia between 1988 and 1994 and due to Armenian occupation, railway link between Nakhichevan and Azerbaijan proper has been broken since 1991.
Of the 2,932 km (1,822 mi) kilometers of rail tracks, 72% or 2,117 km (1,315 mi) kilometers are single track and 28% or 815 km (506 mi) kilometers are double track.
Of the total exploitation length of route 43% or 1,272 km (790 mi) are electrified.
About 38% of the length of the railway routes or 1,126 km (700 mi) are equipped with full automatic blocks and 16% or 479 km (298 mi) are equippedwith centralized dispatchers.
The railways has 176 stations, 2 of which, Bilajari and Shirvan are completely automated, 12 stations have container courts with adapted mechanisms and machines, 3 stations – Keşlə, Ganja and Khirdalan are able to supply high cargo containers.
In freight traffic, the exportation of oil from the oil wells from Baku at the Caspian Sea to the Georgian port of Batumi at the Black Sea, forms an important share of the rail transport in Azerbaijan. The freight market share of the Azerbaijan State Railway was 21% in 1999. The freight market share of the railways are also expected to rise rapidly with completion of the Kars–Tbilisi–Baku railway. Much of the rail track and rolling stock is in need of repair or replacement.
Total: 2,932 km (1,822 mi) (2010)
Country comparison to the world: 57
Broad gauge: 1,520 mm (4 ft 11 5⁄6 in) gauge
Read more about this topic: Rail Transport In Azerbaijan
Famous quotes containing the word railways:
“There is nothing in machinery, there is nothing in embankments and railways and iron bridges and engineering devices to oblige them to be ugly. Ugliness is the measure of imperfection.”
—H.G. (Herbert George)