Work on the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway has been accelerated on Georgia’s territory, Nadir Azmammadov, spokesperson of Azerbaijan Railways, told Trend.

Azmammadov said that the railway’s Georgian part is divided into four parts: Marabda-Tetriskaro (29.2 kilometers), Tetriskaro-Salka (49.7 kilometers), Salka-Akhalkalaki (74.1 kilometers) and Akhalkalaki-Kartsakhi (26.3 kilometers).

In the first part, excavation works, installation of elements of topsides, construction of artificial structures, communication devices, signaling, centralization and blocking, civil and administrative buildings, and work on the power supply have been completed, said Azmammadov.

The stations were provided with gas, water, heating and sewage lines, he noted adding that the movement of trains was also ensured in this part.

In the second part, optical cables of communication and signaling, centralization and blocking have been built; adjustment and alignment are being carried out. Works are completed in the buildings of stations, accessory buildings and 111 facilities.

In the third section, works are already completed in 179 facilities, said Azmammadov adding that buildings of a number of stations have been reconstructed and new equipments have been installed.

A test freight train has been launched in the Marabda-Akhalkalaki part, he added.

The construction of a 153-meter Akhalkalaki-Kartsakhi bridge (Turkey’s border) has been completed. Four tunnels are being built in this part of the railway (with a length of 1,165, 600, 500 and 400 meters).

“Fifty-one facilities have been built in the last section,” said the head of the press service. “A station, a centralized post and accessory buildings were built at the Kartsakhi border station.”

The construction of a 4.5 kilometer-long bridge, concreting of a tunnel, which will be completed in the coming months, are being carried out at the border, added Azmammadov.

He also noted that 30 cars of Stadler company will start to operate on the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway since Aug. 10, 2016.

The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is being constructed on the basis of the Georgian-Azerbaijani-Turkish intergovernmental agreement. Its commissioning is planned for the second half of this year.

The peak capacity of the BTK is to be 17 million tons of cargo per year. At the initial stage, the capacity will be one million passengers and 6.5 million tons of cargo.