AZERBAIJAN: Plans to develop a tram network in Baku have been announced by Deputy Minister of Digital Development & Transport Rahman Hummatov.
The five proposed lines would complement the capital’s existing commuter rail and metro networks, helping to reduce traffic congestion by improving public transport links between the outer suburbs and the city centre.
So far details of one line have been finalised, the backbone of the network which would run from Mehdiabad in the Absheron district north of Baku to 28 May in the city centre.
A new station would be constructed on Baku’s existing suburban rail corridor at M Rasulzada, between the existing Bilajari and 28 May stations, as an interchange with the tram line. The tramway would also offer an interchange with the metro at Azadliq Prospekt.
According to previous reports, the other four lines are expected to be:
- northwestern line linking Bilajari and Binagadi districts with central Baku;
- eastern line linking Sabunchu and Bakikhanov districts with Koroğlu metro station;
- southern line linking Bayil and Badamdar districts to Sahil metro station and the Caspian seafront;
- a line to Heydar Aliyev International Airport, to be integrated with a planned airport metro line.
Three tram depots are planned.
Hummatov said a design consultancy will finalise details of all five lines this year, enabling tenders for construction to be called. ‘There are several leading companies worldwide that build this type of infrastructure — including companies from China, Europe, and other countries’, Hummatov said. ‘The goal is to select the most suitable proposal for us through a transparent tender once a fully detailed project is prepared.’
Completion is planned by 2030.
