Turkey launched construction Friday on a major new railway that will connect its northeastern Kars province with Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan exclave, a project hailed as a cornerstone of the South Caucasus’ future transit network.
At a groundbreaking ceremony in the eastern province of Igdir, Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu called the 224-kilometer line “one of the most concrete first steps toward realizing the Zangezur Corridor,” a planned trade route designed to link the Caspian and Mediterranean basins.
Give the gift of hope
We practice what we preach:
accurate, fearless journalism. But we can't do it alone.
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
Join us.
Support The Media Line. Save democracy.
The railway, expected to cost 2.4 billion euros ($2.8 billion), will include five stations, five tunnels, 19 cut-and-cover tunnels, 10 bridges, three viaducts, 144 underpasses, 27 overpasses, and 480 culverts. Once completed, Uraloğlu said, it will connect Azerbaijan not only with Turkey’s Mediterranean ports but also with its industrial hubs in the southeast, bolstering trade and regional integration.
The Zangezur Corridor has been championed by Ankara and Baku as a vital east-west transit route linking Central Asia and Europe. Supporters argue it could ease bottlenecks in global supply chains, strengthen energy and transport ties, and encourage cross-border tourism.
“This project will leave its mark not only on Turkey’s future but also on that of the South Caucasus and Eurasia,” Uraloğlu said. He added that by linking Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Nakhchivan directly, the line would “strengthen economic cooperation between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia while fostering regional peace.”
The railway is scheduled to become a centerpiece of Ankara’s wider ambition to make Turkey a transport hub bridging Asia and Europe.