Azerbaijan is accelerating the reconstruction of the railway linking Aghdam and Khankendi, a 31-kilometer line in the Garabagh (Karabakh) region that connected the two cities from its launch in 1979 until Khankendi came under Armenian occupation in 1991.
According to Azerbaijan Railways (ADY), 48 percent of the project has been completed, while design work is 90 percent finished. Designs for the planned railway stations in Asgaran and Khojaly along the route have also been completed.
Construction is also progressing on the Khankendi Railway and Bus Terminal Complex, a multimodal transport hub that will form a key part of the region’s developing transport infrastructure.
The complex will feature two railway platforms and 12 bus bays. It is located 4 kilometers closer to Khankendi’s city center than the previous railway station, which was looted and damaged during the Armenian occupation. The new railway terminal is expected to handle 800–1,000 passengers daily, while the bus terminal will serve 1,000–1,200 passengers per day.
The project also includes the construction of 123 engineering structures, including six bridges, and the installation of 28 kilometers of communication and signaling systems.
The Aghdam–Khankendi railway is being developed as part of broader efforts to restore and modernize transport infrastructure in Azerbaijan’s Garabagh region following decades of conflict.
The project is expected to improve connectivity between Khankendi, Aghdam and other parts of the country while supporting the region’s economic and social development.
The Aghdam–Khankendi railway line was first constructed in 1979 on the initiative and under the direct supervision of Azerbaijan’s former President Heydar Aliyev. Its launch contributed to the social, economic and cultural development of the Garabagh region.
President Ilham Aliyev laid the foundation stone for the new railway and bus terminal complex on July 3, 2025. The project is scheduled for completion in 2027.
The Khankendi line will serve as an extension of the Barda–Aghdam route. The last train from Baku to Khankendi via Aghdam operated in 1991, shortly before the city’s occupation by Armenian forces. In 1993, operations on the Barda–Aghdam–Khankendi line were fully suspended following Armenia’s occupation of Aghdam.
