The first test train on Baku-Tbilisi-Kars, from Turkey to Georgia was conducted on July 19, 2017, using the completed railway line. The trip, which lasted about 3 hours, ended in the station located in Akhalkalaki, near Georgia.
“This was a difficult project, and all the three states are working together to offer transport services across the countries and to contribute to the development of railway transport on Europe-China axis. I express my pleasure of this travel, the first one on the route,” Turkey’s Transport Minister, Ahmet Arslan, said.
Among the passengers were Minister of Transport, Maritime and Communication of Turkey Ahmet Arslan, Georgia’s Economy Minister, Giorgi Gakharia, the Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways, Javid Gurbanov, Chairman of Georgian Railways Mamuka Bakhtadze and Chairman of national railway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, Kanat Alpysbayev.
Georgia’s Minister of Economy said that “great expectations from the results and that the involvement of the BTK railway line should bring benefits to Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan and to the countries of the region. The purpose of the meeting is to see at what stage the works are,” he noted.
The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway is a new corridor that connects Azerbaijan, Georgian and Turkish railways. The construction works began in 2008 and it involves the rehabilitation and reconstruction of 178 km-long railway between Marabda and Akhalkalaki (Georgia) and construction of a new railway from Akhalkalaki to the Turkish border. 
In length of 838.6 km the BTK links the Turkish city Kars with Baku, in Azerbaijan and Tbilisi, in Georgia, offering transport connections within Eurasian region.
This project will effectively open a new rail-only corridor from the Caspian Sea to Europe via Turkey, ensuring freight movements from China, Central Asia to Europe. The initial capacity of 6.5 million tonnes of freight and one million passengers and within the next years, will reach to 3 million passengers and 17 million tonnes of cargo.
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