Azernews.Az

Qabil Ashirov

Read more

In recent years, the Republic of Azerbaijan has made remarkable strides toward rebuilding, reintegrating, and revitalizing its liberated territories. The latest milestone in this national mission is the Ağdam–Khankendi railway project, a forward-looking infrastructure endeavor that embodies both the resilience of a people and the vision of a state determined to link its heartlands with its reclaimed regions.

This railway, which stretches 28 kilometers and extends to 34.7 kilometers when accounting for sidetracks and related infrastructure, is more than just a transportation line. It is a message, a clear declaration that the lands once torn apart by conflict are now being stitched together with steel, stone, and strategic foresight. The railway will not only reconnect cities, towns, and villages but also hearts, histories, and hopes.

The decision to construct a comprehensive transport hub, including the Khankendi Railway and Bus Terminal Complex, near the Qarqar River is symbolic and practical. The project, to be implemented between 2025 and 2026, envisions a five-story terminal complex that is as modern in design as it is ambitious in scope. Two railway platforms, twelve bus stops, and passenger service areas equipped with shops, restaurants, medical stations, and mother-and-child rooms promise a new standard of public transport for the region.

This is not merely a transportation reform; it is a transformation of regional identity. Where once war and displacement severed communities, the train lines now propose reconnection and rejuvenation. The inclusion of pedestrian and vehicle overpasses, agricultural passageways, bicycle routes, electric vehicle charging stations, and riverside boulevards underscores the project’s integrated approach to connectivity, sustainability, and accessibility.

In terms of logistics, this railway is set to become a vital artery for both cargo and passenger movement. The projected daily capacity, which is 800 to 1000 rail passengers and up to 1200 bus passengers, speaks volumes about the anticipated demand and relevance. It also shows that the government is not merely building infrastructure for today, but laying the foundations for a thriving, mobile society in the years to come.

Moreover, the strategic placement of the complex, 4 kilometers closer to the city center than the previous station, reflects a nuanced understanding of public convenience and urban integration. For a city that is being reborn from the ashes of occupation, proximity to transport is not just a matter of comfort, but of social cohesion and economic activation.

The Ağdam–Khankendi railway is also a powerful symbol of national unity. It is a visible, tangible line of continuity between Azerbaijan’s western regions and the once-isolated territories. It will enable trade to flourish, encourage tourism to return, and allow displaced citizens to revisit or resettle their ancestral lands with ease and dignity. For young people in particular, it will unlock new possibilities, including educational exchanges, economic opportunities, and cultural connectivity.

Transportation has always been more than just movement. It is about what that movement allows: growth, connection, healing, and aspiration. The new railway brings the promise of a better tomorrow, a tomorrow where the scars of conflict are crossed not by division, but by shared tracks leading toward mutual prosperity.

In the decades to come, historians may very well look back on the Ağdam–Khankendi railway not simply as an engineering achievement, but as a milestone in post-war peacebuilding. As Azerbaijan builds not only roads and railways but also trust and opportunity, projects like this stand as monuments to determination, patience, and unity.

The Azerbaijani people are watching their dreams return to the landscape, not just in the form of bridges and platforms, but in the movement of families, the return of commerce, and the reawakening of places that have waited too long in silence. The railway is coming, and with it, a nation moves forward.