A meeting dealing with transportation issues was held on January 28.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev delivered a speech at the meeting.
OFFICIAL NEWS
Meeting dedicated to transportation issues was held
President Ilham Aliyev addressed the meeting VIDEO
28.01.2025 [18:53]
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Baku, January 28, AZERTAC
A meeting dealing with transportation issues was held on January 28.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev delivered a speech at the meeting.
Speech by President Ilham Aliyev
At today's meeting, we will discuss the development of transport infrastructure in Baku and its suburban areas. There is a need for this. Although a lot of work was done in this direction and major infrastructure projects were implemented in recent years, there are still traffic jams in Baku, and unfortunately, the number of traffic jams is increasing year after year. There are natural reasons for this. The population of our country, including Baku, is growing every year. Over the past 30 years, the population of Azerbaijan has increased from 7 million to 10 million, even above that. Of course, the city's road infrastructure, including the metro, cannot absorb this growth.
We have always kept transport issues in the spotlight, and many large projects have been implemented in Baku over the past 15 years, new metro stations have been put into operation, road junctions, tunnels, bridges have been built, new roads have been laid. If we had not done this work, transport in Baku would be completely paralyzed today. But we still see that there will be great benefit in adopting another major program. For this purpose, I gave the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport relevant instructions some time ago to prepare a state program, and work on this program has been carried out for several months. Today we will discuss these issues and make the necessary decisions.
As for transport issues, I must say that a number of transport projects have been implemented throughout the country in recent years: rural roads, intercity roads, highways. As the years go by, the previous situation tends to be forgotten. However, if we look back 20 years, we will remember the state of our roads at that time. Even the main roads of Baku hardly met any standards. We built new roads and connected almost all cities with modern roads. We connected all our borders with modern highways. The rate of repair and construction of rural roads has reached around 85-90 percent, and every year, we allocate funds for these purposes.
At the same time, the geographical location of Azerbaijan is such that international transport corridors pass through our territory, and this is because we have been able to effectively use this geographical location. But geographical location alone does not mean that any country can become a transport hub. However, we have consistently shown interest in the passage of international transport corridors through Azerbaijan, through our territory, made efforts, and carried out practical work.
Today, it is impossible to imagine the transport map of Eurasia without Azerbaijan, without its transport infrastructure. Currently, the East-West and North-South transport corridors pass through our territory. The volume of cargo transported along these corridors is increasing by the year. In addition to physical infrastructure, other steps have been taken to ensure more efficient transportation of cargo, including attention paid to issues of digitalization. New formats of cooperation with neighboring countries have been created and joint ventures, joint companies have been established. In short, Azerbaijan today is one of the indispensable transport centers of Eurasia.
I should also note that countries that usually have the status of transport centers are those that have access to open seas. We do not have access to the world ocean. However, despite this, as a result of the work we have done, we have turned Azerbaijan into an indispensable transport center. Work continues, and additional measures are now taken on both the North-South and East-West transport corridors. Because the volume of cargo previously calculated suggests that a larger volume of cargo will pass. This is an issue related to various reasons. But the fact is that we have now attracted and will continue to attract additional investment to increase the carrying capacity of these corridors.
Among the new projects, I would like to mention the Zangezur corridor. The Zangezur corridor project was put forward by Azerbaijan. After our Victory in the Second Karabakh War, this issue was put on the international agenda, in the international lexicon, and today the Zangezur corridor is already an accepted expression, an accepted term in the world. Of course, we are taking practical steps to open this corridor. True, the Armenian side has been demonstrating an unconstructive position on this issue for more than four years. In fact, it is not fulfilling the obligations it assumed after the November 10 capitulation. It was explicitly stated there that there should be a transport connection between the main part of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, which is its integral part. Armenia, however, does not comply with this, and by citing various excuses and putting forward various unrealistic and absurd projects, it simply wants to mislead the international community and is engaged in manipulations. You have probably heard that they have come up with the so-called “Peace Crossroads” project, and now there is not a single country in the world they have not shared this project with. However, this so-called project is not worth two cents without Azerbaijan, and we have repeatedly conveyed this to the Armenian side through various channels. If you truly want to implement this project, first of all, you should approach Azerbaijan. Because without us, it is just a piece of paper, and our terms are fair, grounded in international law and the obligations Armenia itself has undertaken. I would once again advise the Armenian leadership to carefully read the November 10 capitulation act and pay special attention to the paragraph I mentioned. I repeat that their so-called project is completely irrelevant without Azerbaijan. They are simply stalling for time and trying to confuse the international community. Once again, they have given rise to dirty campaigns against Azerbaijan in various circles. As a result, to this day, we do not have the shortest and most convenient connection with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, an integral part of Azerbaijan.
True, we are meeting the needs of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic in various ways. First of all, cargo and passengers go through the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran. We also have other opportunities. But they are economically less viable and the road is longer. In principle, this connection can also be established through the territories of Georgia and Türkiye, but if there is the most convenient way and opportunity, of course, this issue is a priority. However, when we see that the Armenian side is still acting insincerely, a corresponding agreement has been reached with the Islamic Republic of Iran and a project is now underway on the construction of a road bridge bypassing Armenia. It will probably be completed this year.
The second bridge will also be built, this time in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. The first bridge is under construction in the Zangilan district. Thus, Armenia will continue to be a dead-end country and their dreams of becoming a transit state will never be materialized. They will be the losing side, not us. Therefore, this issue will be in the spotlight, and both on the international stage and in bilateral contacts with Armenia, we always emphasize one point: there must be unhindered passage from Azerbaijan to Azerbaijan. There must be smooth and unrestricted passage from Azerbaijan to Azerbaijan, without any inspections or obstacles. This is our demand. The Soviet authorities took West Zangezur from us in November 1920 and committed a crime against the Azerbaijani people. That was not the first and last crime. Secondly, if we go in sequence after that, another crime was the creation of the so-called “Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region” on the territory of Azerbaijan. The crime before that was the resettlement of Armenians to the territory of Azerbaijan by Tsarist Russia. The crime before that was the murder of the Karabakh Khan, who was guaranteed to exercise his leadership in Karabakh. Other crimes of the 20th century are also in sight. The Khojaly genocide, January 20, and the occupation of our lands in the early 1990s. So we have not forgotten this, the Azerbaijani people have not forgotten this. We have not forgotten Zangezur and we never will. I repeat that we have no territorial claims to Armenia. However, Armenia must fulfill its obligations and provide unhindered passage from Azerbaijan to Azerbaijan.
As for the transport infrastructure of Baku, I will come to this issue now. But before we do that, I would like to bring to the attention of the public some of the work related to transport carried out in Azerbaijan in the past 20 years. In particular, over the last 20 years, 21,000 kilometers of highways have been built and repaired in Azerbaijan. 335 bridges and overpasses, 45 tunnels, 163 overhead and underground passages have been built. I am returning to what I said again. If we had not done this work, it is not difficult to imagine what state the transport infrastructure of our country would be in now.
The following work has been done regarding the railway infrastructure: more than 1,500 kilometers of railways have been built, 1,800 kilometers have been repaired, new trains, and wagons have been purchased, the Absheron circular line, which is more than 90 kilometers long, has been put into operation. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway has been built. I must also note that this project was implemented at the initiative of the Azerbaijani state. When we sought to implement this project, we faced significant resistance. I can now state this. In particular, the United States opposed it. The reason was again their pro-Armenian policies. Because it was believed that this project would exclude Armenia. For this reason, the Georgian leadership at the time faced heavy pressure from the United States to prevent Georgia from agreeing to it. We had been negotiating with the Georgian side for several years, and finally, we succeeded in reaching an agreement. In particular, I personally discussed this issue repeatedly with high-ranking representatives of the American state and stated that they should not hinder us. This is a strategic project for us, and other countries, including their own allies, will also benefit from this project in the future. Life has shown that, as always, we were right. Today, America's allies in Europe are very interested in the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. In general, they are also very interested in the transportation of cargo from Central Asia to Europe and vice versa, passing through the territory of Azerbaijan. If the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway had not been built, all this would have been completely impossible. Not only did we build the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway by reaching an agreement with Türkiye and Georgia, we also gave the Georgian state a loan of about one billion dollars at a very low interest rate at that time. In fact, work was carried out on the territory of Georgia with the help of these funds. The railway on the territory of Azerbaijan was modernized and Türkiye also built a section on its territory. So, a new road was opened, which today carries cargo from various countries to the White Sea, to Europe and to Türkiye. Then we saw that the carrying capacity of this road was not sufficient. Again, last year, the expansion of this road was completed at the expense of Azerbaijan and its carrying capacity was increased to 5 million tons. In other words, I believe that this is one of the most important projects implemented in our geography in recent years, and many countries will continue to benefit from it. At one time, those officials of the U.S. Department of State opposed us – I don't know where they are now, their names have not gone down in history – but we achieved this by showing serious determination.
I would like to mention the Sumgayit-Yalama railway among the efforts to rehabilitate and modernize existing roads, as well as to increase the transportation capacity and train speeds. The construction of this road has already reached 80% completion, and it is expected to be fully operational in the near future. The road we are currently working on – the Alat-Astara road – is virtually known to exist, but considering that the volume of cargo on the North-South corridor will sharply increase in the future, the expansion of this road is also on the agenda, and some funding has already been allocated this year.
Several new train routes have been identified to ensure connectivity between Azerbaijani cities. Baku-Gabala. The railway line had never reached the city of Gabala before. We built it, this line is also very necessary. The Baku-Balakan railway has resumed its operation, so has Baku-Aghstafa. That is, those who know the geography of Azerbaijan see that these railways actually connect our country with our western border, with northwestern border and the city of Gabala. The cities located on all these lines are also naturally covered.
Over the past 20 years, eight international airports have been built in Azerbaijan. Four of them were there, but their condition was not satisfactory. The airports of Baku, Nakhchivan, Ganja, and Lankaran have been reconstructed. The Lankaran airport was practically not used, but the Baku, Nakhchivan and Ganja airports were used. Both the runways and terminal complexes of these four airports meet the most modern standards. At the same time, four new airports have been built – Gabala, Zagatala, Fuzuli, and Zangilan. The ninth international airport will be put into operation in Lachin this year. All these airports are capable of receiving cargo and passenger aircraft of any weight. The runway is at least three kilometers long. So, as I have said, the ninth airport will be put into operation this year, and we are completely closing this issue.
I should also note that Heydar Aliyev International Airport transported a record number of passengers last year – more than seven million. According to the information I have received, the analysis conducted by the ministry shows that this figure will increase further, and it was proposed that a new terminal complex be built at Heydar Aliyev International Airport. I also supported the idea. Work is now underway on the project and feasibility study of this new terminal. This work has already been started and it will allow us the opportunity to receive a higher number of passengers in the future. So, we will become an international center for air transport as well. Considering that a large cargo terminal is currently under construction in Alat, its cargo reception capacity will be 1 million tons. In other words, it is not too difficult to see the work we are doing in this direction of transport.
One of the important projects of recent years has been the construction of a new Trade Seaport. We removed the old port from the city center. Landscaping work will now be carried out in that area, recreation areas and various facilities will be built. So this zone will make an additional contribution to the overall development of our city and our people will also benefit from it. Work is underway on a master plan for this area, which is adjacent to the White City Boulevard.
The cargo handling capacity of the first phase of the new Trade Seaport was planned at 15 million tons. However, we can already see that the volume of cargo will be much larger. An order has already been given and we are starting work this year. International consultants have been involved to prepare and come up with a new project. We need to increase the port's capacity to 25 million tons, and perhaps this will not be enough for us either. Because the volume of cargo on the East-West transport corridor is growing so rapidly that we must do this work in accordance with that. In order to concentrate all these transport issues in one center, a new organization – the AZCON organization – was recently established by my decision. It will take into account all these coordination and future development plans, including investment.
Since 2008, seven new metro stations have been built, and the State Program to be adopted provides for the construction of 10 new metro stations. A total of 266 new generation metro cars have been purchased, and this process is ongoing. Hundreds of new passenger buses have been brought to the country, and the assembly of electric buses will begin at the end of the year, followed by the increase in localization. A total of 161 new electric buses have already been brought to Baku, and in the near future Baku residents will see the benefits of this. Because it is vehicles that pollute the air the most, especially large vehicles. Therefore, of course, we take into account people's concerns in this matter.
The shipyard was also built in recent years, about 10, maybe 12 years ago. Previously, we bought ships from abroad, and then I decided that a shipyard should definitely be built in Baku. Again, life shows how right this idea was. Today, it is impossible to buy ships from traditional sources, from where we used to buy them. We have now achieved a point when the shipyard is operating at full capacity. Currently, six ships of different sizes are under construction there. In parallel, we have raised our activities in the Black Sea to a new level. Whereas previously small-sized ships belonging to the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company used to operate there, now four large tankers – Aframax type tankers – with a carrying capacity of 100,000 tons – have been purchased, which both benefits us and expands the capabilities of our country.
Transport projects are the backbone of the work carried out in liberated territories. About 3,400 kilometers of highways – so far, 44 highway projects have either been completed or are still underway. In addition, 45 tunnels, 447 bridges, and 16 viaducts are planned. Of these, 28 tunnels, 392 bridges, and 9 viaducts have already been completed.
Some 60 percent of the Horadiz-Aghband railway has been completed, and 94 percent of the Barda-Aghdam railway has been constructed. These are just the main projects that I bring to the attention of the public, and these figures say and show everything. They show to what extent we have implemented transport projects. If we had not implemented them, the connections between Baku, other cities, and between cities of the country in general could have completely paralyzed our transport capabilities.
But let me say again that life does not stand still. We will now adopt a new state program. All transport projects across the country, including in the liberated territories, will continue to be implemented. Everything is going according to plan. The necessary funds have been allocated for these purposes in this year's Investment Program.
As for the city of Baku and the territories around it, let me say again that the adoption of a new state program is necessary. This will be a very large program, a program with a large financial capacity. It will be a program that requires joint activity and efficient work of all relevant agencies. This is why I have called today's meeting so that we can discuss these issues, so that they are presented to us, so that the public can also understand what is expected and what work should be done in which years. At the same time, representatives of the public can also give their recommendations to relevant state bodies – the Presidential Administration, the Cabinet of Ministers, the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport. We may have not included something in this program. So suggestions from the ground will also be taken into account.
Now, the floor is given to the Minister of Digital Development and Transport, Rashad Nabiyev, for the report.
X X X
Addressing the meeting, Minister Rashad Nabiyev said:
- Dear Mr. President, dear participants of the meeting.
First of all, Mr. President, I would like to express my deep gratitude to you for your continuous attention to the provision of high-quality transport services for our citizens. Under your leadership, fundamental reforms have been carried out in the transport sector over the past 20 years, the infrastructure has been rebuilt, and the sector has made a significant contribution to the rapid development of the country's economy. The rapid growth of the country's economy and the increase in the well-being of the population have led to a sharp increase in motorization. In accordance with your instructions to improve passenger transportation, reduce traffic jams on the roads, alleviate the environmental situation of the city and increase the efficiency of state investments, a project on the “Transformation of Baku City Mobility” has been launched. The coordination of the project is carried out by the Transport Coordination Council established by your relevant decree. The successes achieved in improving the city transport system over the past year and a half have been possible thanks to the constructive cooperation of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Baku City Executive Authority, the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture, and the State Agency of Azerbaijan Automobile Roads, all represented in the Council.
Dear Mr. President, as is the case in all major cities of the world, Baku's transport system is facing many challenges against the backdrop of economic and demographic growth. In response to these challenges, cities around the world are transitioning from a “car-centric city” model to a “people-centric” approach. Of course, this transition does not depend only on state regulation. Here, a change in the transport behavior of city residents is also important. Changing behavior that has long been focused on other modes of transport and become a habit takes time. However, proactive management of supply and demand in the city's transport system can shorten this time. For this, on the one hand, sufficient supply of the transport system must be ensured. In other words, the street and road infrastructure must be fully organized, the number of buses must be sufficient, and the railway and metro infrastructure must be expanded. On the other hand, determining parking tariffs through state regulation, imposing fines for non-compliance with bus lanes, and other requirements aimed at managing demand lead to the adoption of new transport habits. For example, the lack of appropriate infrastructure for micro-mobility, i.e. scooters and bicycles, leads to the perception of micro-mobility as a dangerous means of transport and the lack of this habit. However, studies have shown that only 1 out of 9 million trips made by bicycle results in a fatality.
Although more detailed information will be provided in the presentation, with your permission, I would like to bring to your attention a few figures related to the progress achieved within the framework of the transformation of mobility. A total of 112 kilometers of bus lanes have been built to increase the frequency of passenger transportation by bus, ensure speed of movement and improve the quality of service. As a result of your support for the legislative initiative on the regulation of traffic on the roads, compliance with the bus lane requirement and a reduction in illegal parking have been ensured. At the same time, the number of buses operating on daily routes has increased from 1,750 to 2,160. As a logical result of these reforms, public confidence in buses has increased, and transportation in Baku and its suburbs has risen by 41 million, or 9 percent, compared to the period before the reforms.
Similar reforms have been implemented in the taxi service. Before the reforms, there was legitimate public dissatisfaction with the quality of service and safety. As a result of the reforms, the number of taxis was reduced from 67,000 to 30,000 and the average age of taxis from 15 to 8. Most importantly, the number of short-distance trips that create congestion towards the city center has decreased sharply, by about 32 percent. Another important step taken to transition car-oriented cities to people-oriented cities is the creation of parks and green corridors. The territory of Khagani Park has been expanded by side roads, a park-concept hub has been created around the “28 May” metro station. Access to Icherisheher and Aziz Aliyev Street has been restricted.
Dear Mr. President, in order for the results of the transformation of urban mobility to be long-term, it is important to demonstrate a systematic and comprehensive approach to the challenges facing us. In this respect, the digital twin created within the project is of particular importance, as it allows us to predict the effectiveness of initiatives in advance. It also allows us the opportunity to measure the efficiency of state investment in road and transport infrastructure and prioritize planned projects. However, in addition to the progress achieved, it is necessary to expand the metro and railway infrastructure that can provide public transportation in order to increase the share of public transport to 60 percent. I would like to note that the work to be done in this direction is aligned with the Master Plan of Baku. This will also be implemented in accordance with another task you have given – the development of the city and the polycentric approach. The unification of state enterprises that provide passenger transportation services under AZCON, established by your progressive order, will serve to create a high-quality and balanced passenger transportation experience.
In conclusion, I would like to assure you that we will implement your instructions aimed at improving the living standards and transport opportunities of our citizens in a coordinated manner with all relevant institutions. Thank you for your attention.
X X X
President Ilham Aliyev: Now, the floor is given to the Chairman of the Board of the Land Transport Agency, Anar Rzayev.
Addressing the meeting, Anar Rzayev, Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan Land Transport Agency, said:
- Dear Mr. President, the rapid socioeconomic development in the country has resulted in an increase in the income of the population. In parallel with this, dynamic demographic growth has also taken place, especially in Baku and its suburban areas. As is the case in all large cities, as a result of the increase in the income of the population and rapid motorization, the use of cars, especially in the city center, has increased. As a result of these factors, as well as the transformation of Baku into a mono-centric city, the presence of some bottlenecks in the street and road infrastructure has led to traffic congestion and jams in the city. On your instructions, a special program has been developed to carry out work in this direction by inviting a foreign consulting company.
Dear Mr. President, it is clear that your policy is centered around citizens of Azerbaijan, the satisfaction of the desires and needs of the citizens of Azerbaijan. Therefore, the program is fully focused on the citizens of Azerbaijan. Thus, the program has set three main goals. These are the creation of faster, safer, and more environment-friendly mobility opportunities. Sub-goals have also been defined to achieve these goals. These are ensuring the transition to the urban concept for residents. Here we are talking about expanding the use of public transport, creating additional and new mobility opportunities, expanding pedestrian movement, as well as micro-mobility. At the same time, it is planned to completely digitize passenger experience and implement some systemic changes. These are the creation of less traffic jams, faster access to attraction centers, and, at the same time, the creation of a safer and more environment-friendly mobility atmosphere. We believe that as a result of the implementation of the program, additional positive socioeconomic effects will be brought about. All these factors together will ensure that Baku city enters the highest rating in international ratings, the rating of the best cities.
I would like to note that during the preparation of the program, as well as during its application, a digital twin of the city was created by inviting an international consulting company to make data-based decisions. Billions of data were used to create the digital twin. Bus data, metro data, and even more than 6 billion data points from mobile operators were used. The digital twin allows for the assessment of both urban flows and the impact of infrastructure on these flows, as well as the effectiveness of new infrastructure projects, and each of the decisions made after that was previously simulated in the digital twin and presented accordingly.
The first figures taken into the digital twin were the number of all trips in Baku. Here it became clear that more than 2 billion trips are made in Baku per year, and when we looked at the structure of these trips, we saw that the share of public transport was 30 percent, whereas the share of private transport and taxis was 50 percent. International experience requires the exact opposite. In international practice, the share of public transport is required to be at least 39-40 percent, whereas the share of private vehicles to be around 30 percent in order to create a smooth mobility environment. Simple calculations have shown that it is necessary to transfer 300 million trips to public transport on an annual basis in order to create the smooth mobility environment we have mentioned, and measures have been taken in this direction. I would also like to note one important point: when the calculations were started, the trend of the situation was getting worse. That is, there was a trend of decreasing the share of public transport in the city and increasing the share of private vehicles.
Thanks to the measures taken recently, some positive results have been achieved. I would like to bring them to your attention. Thus, 41 million additional passengers were transported by buses in 2023-2024, compared to 28 million in 2024, and more than 11 million additional passengers by rail and metro. There was a 32 percent decrease in taxi transportation. At the same time, more than 700,000 trips were made in the micro-mobility network and micro-mobility service created in the last months of 2024. This is an indicator of a change in the trend of the measures and their development in the desired direction.
Work has been done in several directions to achieve these initial results. These, of course, are primarily related to buses. Over the past two years, the number of buses in the city has increased by 440 units, or 25 percent. Currently, this has reached a record level of 2,160. At the same time, I would like to note that this is not the limit and we plan to increase the number of buses to 2,800.
A network of special lanes has been developed in the city, which has allowed the population to increase confidence in buses. Thanks to this, both the speed of buses and the quality of the services provided have increased. An increase in the average speed of buses within the city has been observed from 18 kilometers to 22 kilometers. On some streets with high traffic density – I can give an example of this on Ataturk Avenue – the speed has decreased by 12 minutes, that is, the transition has dropped by 12 minutes. This has created a serious incentive for citizens to switch to public transport.
As mentioned, projects have also been implemented to encourage pedestrian travel. These are primarily projects implemented in Khagani Park and in front of the “28 May” metro station, where car access to both areas was restricted and these places were made available to pedestrians. On your instructions, a pedestrian zone, as well as a car hub, was created in Khagani Park and in front of the “28 May” metro station. The last project was to restrict car traffic in front of the Goshagala Gate, Aziz Aliyev Street and within the Old City, which resulted in the creation of a huge pedestrian zone in Baku. Work in this direction will be continued. Projects are being prepared and will be submitted after completion.
Sidewalk infrastructure is a fairly important element for encouraging pedestrian traffic. Therefore, we have also analyzed the sidewalk infrastructure in Baku. In some places, it was determined that sidewalk infrastructure is a fairly narrow. At the same time, it was noted that pedestrian crossings are poorly lit. In this direction, a new approach aligned with international norms and a process management approach have been developed. This year, a pilot project fully in line with international standards is to be implemented so that these approaches can be expanded later.
As I mentioned, micro-mobility lanes have been created in Baku for the first time. Currently, there are 35 kilometers of coordinated micro-mobility lanes in Baku. A bicycle rental service has also been introduced to citizens. Currently, 200,000 trips are made by bicycles and scooters in Baku per month. This is a fairly positive indicator. However, at the first stage, there was also a considerable lack of confidence in the use of bicycles and scooters. But the dynamic growth shows that their use by citizens will increase. At the end of the program, the number of these trips per month is to be increased to 2.5 million.
Another problem area in Baku was related to parking. Illegal parking was quite widespread. It was also quite cheap. Therefore, this created a gravity in the city center, drivers were eager to enter the city center. Parking reforms were carried out, a paid parking system was introduced and completely digitalized. Now payments are made completely transparently through a mobile application. Regular parking has already been established in the city. I would also like to note that it is now possible to find a parking space in the city center even on the busiest days of the week. Because while previously one car occupied a parking space for 10 hours, now 10 cars can use a parking space for one hour.
The reforms in the taxi service are also aimed at reducing the movement of private vehicles in the city center. There was a lot of dissatisfaction from citizens in this direction, about the service itself, drivers and cars. During the reforms, 35,000 drivers were involved in training and exams were held with each of them. A total of 29,000 of the drivers were able to pass the exams. The exams are currently conducted by the State Examination Center.
As a result of the applied color and year requirements, the average age of cars was reduced from 14 and a half to 8 years. I would like to note that before that, 40 percent of the 67,000 car fleet was older than 15 years. Currently, cars older than 15 years have generally been removed from service, the number of hybrid and electric taxis of the same color, white, in the city is constantly increasing, with special permission from us.
Dear Mr. President, I would like to note one special point. Using the “Etaxi” system created as part of the AYNA information system, we can now fully control taxi service and movements.
Thanks to all this work, initial positive results have been achieved. However, in order to meet the mobility needs of citizens, it was necessary to prepare a unified plan that would take into account the joint operation of all means of transport. On your instruction, work was carried out in this direction, and at the first stage, all flows into the city were assessed. It turned out that more than 630,000 passengers-citizens head towards the center of Baku every day. These citizens move towards the center of the city in approximately 300,000 cars. Their directions have also become clear. In particular, the Sumgayit-Khirdalan direction has a large share here. Other directions are the outskirts of Baku. Based on this, a single, coordinated and integrated transport plan has been prepared, and I would like to report on its directions to you. There are two main directions here. The first direction is the implementation of road infrastructure projects. There were 50 road infrastructure projects. These were simulated in a digital twin and the most optimal and efficient nine projects were prioritized and reported to you. These projects relate to three ring roads: the Bilgah-Novkhani-Khirdalan-Shamakhi highway, the Sabunchu-Sulutapa highway, and a ring road connecting the first ring road to Ziya Bunyadov Avenue. As a result of the construction of the ring roads, a part of the flows of the main arteries of the city center will switch to these roads, so that the city center will be relieved. Six other projects are also aimed at resolving the bottlenecks within the city, so that the movement of vehicles here will be somewhat smoother.
Dear Mr. President, I would now like to present additional information about the 20 January project. Since this is a rather complex problem, analyses were conducted at 15 intersections starting from Khirdalan Roundabout to Tbilisi Avenue, from 20 January to Ziya Bunyadov Avenue, by taking photographs and collecting data. As a result, a large simulation was prepared. This simulation included the improvement of the Khirdalan Roundabout, the construction of road junctions and overpasses, the expansion of roads in the direction of Ziya Bunyadov Avenue, as well as the opening of new roads from Shamakhi Road to Khirdalan city, as well as creating opportunities for entering the city from there. Design work in this direction will begin shortly.
The second direction is the direction of public transportation. Thus, even after the roads are built, it is not possible for buses alone to carry out all this transportation. Because the demand is very high and it is also very important to expand the services of carriers. Here, the development scenarios of the metro were analyzed and the most optimal scenario was selected by simulation. It has been reported to you that 10 new stations will be built and four stations will be connected. These 10 stations are the extension of the “Purple Line” to Babak Avenue and the “Green Line” to the “Hazi Aslanov” metro station. I would like to note that the extension of the “Purple Line” will also expand the use of the “Avtovagzal” and “Khojasan” metro stations and will once again significantly reduce the pressure on the 20 January metro station and that roundabout.
The extension of the “Green Line” from “Hazi Aslanov” will benefit thousands of citizens who use the city center to travel to and from the shopping center in Khojasan on a daily basis. This will once again lead to a decrease in traffic in the city center. As a result of the implementation of these projects, it will be possible to transport another 88 million passengers by metro per year. The metro will carry out transportation within the city.
However, in addition, 400,000 passengers enter the capital from the outskirts of the city per day, and a program to expand railway services is also planned to benefit these passengers. First, there are plans to add trains to the Absheron ring road and put the Guzdak-Garadagh railway into operation to prevent freight trains from entering the ring road. It was also decided to return some existing, but outdated and decommissioned railways to operation. These are the directions “Zabrat 2”-“Mashtagha”-“Baghlar”-“Albali”, Bakikhanov-Bina-Gala-Yeni Surakhani-Hovsan, which will also enable to alleviate passenger traffic. In the next stage, there are plans to build a railway line from Yeni Surakhani to Heydar Aliyev International Airport so that the railway can serve when passenger traffic increases there.
Two residential areas in Baku – Mehdiabad and “Sea Breeze” – do not have access to the metro and railway. However, it is planned to introduce tram lines in these areas. A tram line will be laid from “Sea Breeze” and connected to the Pirshaghi station, and a hub will be created there. It is planned to lay a tram line from the Mehdiabad-Binagadi direction, connecting the metro with the “28 May” station, so that passengers can be served.
Dear Mr. President, in parallel with all these works, the bus fleet will also be expanded. Baku city needs 2,800 buses. The number of bus depots will also be increased because the work of buses must also change. Therefore, carriers must provide transportation. Thank you for your attention.
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Then, the discussions continued.
