02.12.25
In northwestern Turkey, Railport, the country’s largest multimodal freight railway terminal, has officially begun operations. The terminal has become one of the key links of the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars (BTK) international transport route, emerging as a critical logistics hub that connects Azerbaijan’s transit flow with European routes.
According to information reported by Vesti.az based on Turkish media sources, this large-scale project—aimed at linking the BTK corridor to Europe and ensuring the uninterrupted flow of cargo between Asia and the European Union—is of strategic importance. The terminal was implemented through a joint venture established by Turkey’s Arkas company and Germany’s logistics operator Duisport.
Construction of the Railport intermodal terminal began in September 2023, and the total cost of the project was estimated at 86 million USD. The terminal is being built in three phases and will have an annual handling capacity of 360,000 TEU containers, 1.5 million tons of general cargo, 120,000 vehicles (in CEU units), and 125,000 trailers. These figures make Railport one of the largest logistics projects in modern Turkey. With no comparable facility in terms of capacity and scale, the terminal stands out as one of the most important nodes along the route between Europe and Asia.
As is known, the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway line has an annual freight transport capacity of 5 million tons. Work to increase the line’s capacity was completed in 2024. Previously, the route was able to carry only 1 million tons per year. The launch of the Railport intermodal terminal will enhance the potential of the entire logistics chain, increasing the competitiveness of the transit corridor. Azerbaijan’s central role within this corridor is of great significance.
