TBILISI, October 2 – Georgia and Azerbaijan will launch a new block-train linking the Black Sea ports of Poti and Batumi with Azerbaijan’s biggest cargo hubs around Baku, after the two railways signed an agreement in Almaty.
The fixed-timetable service will run Batumi–Poti–Tbilisi–Absheron–Sumgait–Alat and offer shippers a simplified “terminal-to-door” product with predictable delivery times and faster empty-container turnarounds, Georgian Railways said. The aim is to shift containers off highways and onto rail, cutting congestion and environmental impact while improving reliability.
The route plugs directly into the “Middle Corridor,” the Trans-Caspian rail-sea network that connects China and Europe via Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The World Bank says targeted policies and investments could triple the corridor’s freight volumes and halve end-to-end travel times by 2030, underscoring why clock-face block trains and coordinated operations matter for shippers looking for certainty.
Speed is already improving. According to regional authorities, average door-to-door times on the Middle Corridor have fallen from roughly 38–53 days to about 19–23 days, with an ambition to reach 14–18 days as upgrades continue.
Baku’s Alat port, the rail line’s Caspian anchor, handled a record 7.6 million tons in 2024 and has capacity to scale toward 15 million tons, reflecting the corridor’s rising throughput. Port planners project further growth through the decade as new inter-modal facilities come online.
International lenders also frame the corridor as strategic. The EBRD’s 2025 Azerbaijan strategy notes renewed interest in the Middle Corridor and Baku’s role as a transport hub, aligning with wider efforts to diversify Eurasian trade routes.
Georgian Railways says the new service will save shippers time and money by reducing terminal dwell fees and offering guaranteed slots. For the region, scheduled block trains between the Black Sea and the Caspian tighten a key link in a network that governments and banks expect to carry much more freight, much faster, in coming years.
