Baku, November 11, AZERTAC
Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) transported 15.691 million tonnes of freight in January–October 2026, marking a 13% increase from the 13.911 million tonnes recorded in the same period last year. Freight transportation reached 1.714 million tonnes in October alone, up 22% year-on-year.
Transit shipments were among the main drivers of growth. ADY transported 6.582 million tonnes of transit cargo in the first 10 months of the year, a 20% increase compared with the corresponding period of 2025. October transit volumes rose by 49% year-on-year to 817,000 tonnes.
Container transportation also registered substantial growth. The railway operator handled 132,500 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) between January and October, up 18% from 112,400 TEUs a year earlier. October container traffic increased by 67% to 16,200 TEUs.
ADY also received 472 block trains from China during the reporting period, representing a 49% increase year-on-year and reflecting growing cargo flows along China–Europe routes.
ADY’s Astara Terminal recorded its highest-ever cargo handling volumes for both a single month and the first 10 months of a year. It handled 753,614 tonnes of cargo between January and October, up 37% from 550,210 tonnes in the same period of 2025. October throughput alone reached a record 122,216 tonnes, marking a 65% annual increase.
The Port of Baku, operated by ADY, likewise reported an all-time high in container handling. Its throughput exceeded 112,000 TEUs in the first 10 months of 2026, representing a 31% increase compared with the same period last year.
The latest figures underscore Azerbaijan's expanding capacity to handle international freight flows, particularly along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor, amid growing trade connectivity between Asia and Europe.