Caspian Energy (CE): Mr. Asgarov, how would you evaluate the development path that steel highways have been through in Azerbaijan?

Arif Asgarov, Chairman, Azerbaijan Railways CJSC: Today independent Azerbaijan ranks with the highly developed states of the world as a full member of the world community. The country acts on the international tribunes and sounds a voice of truth to the world community, actively participates in implementation of both international and regional projects and all this has been the result of efforts applied by Nationwide Leader Heydar Aliyev for long years.

Nowadays large-scale projects are implemented in the transport and other sectors along with ongoing active integration with the international community. As one of branches of the national transport system, steel highways of Azerbaijan are now at the cutting-edge of rapid development. These grandiose achievements have become reality due to the daily attention and care of the country leadership to the operation of railways. 

The period of Nationwide Leader Heydar Aliyev’s presidency in the country, from 1969 to 2003, can be unequivocally considered as a period of the overall and technical development of the Azerbaijani railway. For the first time the push to fundamental development and drastic changes within the railway system and other sectors of the domestic economy was fixed in 1969 after Heydar Aliyev’s coming to power.

It is enough just to remind one fact as example when commissioning of very important facilities was performed on his initiative under strict control. In those years, 14,300 methods of technical innovations covering all sectors of the railway industry were introduced in additional to the regular operation. During his presidency in the republic within 1969-1982 and also during his activity in the management of the former USSR times in 1983-1987 the Azerbaijani railways were supplied with modern imported cars, mechanisms and equipment.

During that period hundreds of steel highway workers were granted awards and medals of the former USSR, and it is a proof that the National Leader always kept an eye on labor successes and achievements of railroad workers and was taking a featherlike care of them. Thanks to Heydar Aliyev’s direct involvement in 1970-1987 a large number of specialists were sent to receive education abroad and many of them are the core of executive teams today.

All the mentioned is not just a short chronology. These are conditions defining strategic development of the large system. The history has proved that each step of the national leader served to perspective strategic development of the country.

CE: Which programs are the Azerbaijan Railways CJSC realizing now? 

Arif Asgarov: The national social and economic development strategy, initiated by National Leader Heydar Aliyev and followed on the modern level by the incumbent President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, is promoting a purposeful growth of dynamism and mobilization of the general potential of society that in turn ensure strengthening of the power of the nationwide heritage. In this regard accelerated development of the transport infrastructure and modernization processes are now performed even more intensively under the leadership of Ilham Aliyev. Involvement of our country into execution of international and regional transport corridors such as Baku-Tbilisi-Kars and North-South serves a good proof to this.

In general, the country leadership took important decisions and signed relevant executive orders to boost a perspective development of the railways as a component of the transport system of Azerbaijan. 

For the purpose to ensure compliance of Azerbaijan railways’ level to the international standards on July 20, 2009 President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed the executive order on creation of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC that actually became a new starting point for further development. On February 15, 2010 the Government of Azerbaijan approved the charter and structure of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, thus accelerating work in that direction. 

Thus, new process of reforms started in improvement and restructuring of railways, in particular in modernization of infrastructure of the railway and rolling stock.

As a logic continuation of these operations, on July 6, 2010 President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed the executive order, approving the State Program on Development of Railway Transport System of Azerbaijan in 2010-2014. This order became the most important document in the history of railways development. The program reflected all major aspects ensuring future prompt development of Azerbaijan’s railways. Measures are implemented according to the state program, including upgrading of the car fleet and locomotive stock, overhaul repair of railways, power supply and alarm and communication facilities, shifting from alternating to direct current along the Baku-Boyuk-kasik route, modernization of technical devices as well as fulfillment of other important tasks. The state program mainly focuses on increasing the transit potential and the level of services in the railway transport, ensuring fruitful operation of the transport complex via reducing transportation costs in passenger traffic.

Recently performed intensive bilateral and multilateral cooperation with international financial structures will also make a positive contribution to the development of railways because the negotiation process with international financial structures for the purpose of reconstruction of railways has entered a new stage. Credit agreements have been signed owing to the support of the Head of State to provide financing for the Railway Transport and Trade Support Project that is focused on improvement of infrastructure, management and development of the railway. Under the agreements, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) shall extend $450 million as a loan and 215 million euros shall be provided by the Export Bank of the Czech Republic. According to the State Program, the funds will be used for reconstruction of locomotives, roads, power supply, alarm and communication facilities, acquisition of new locomotives and introduction of the international accounting system.

With a view of defining economic, legal and organizational frameworks of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC within the frame of the State Program on Development of Railway Transport System of Azerbaijan for 2010-2014, the draft bill “On railway transport of Azerbaijan” taking into account opinions and offers of the Ministry of Justice was revised by Azerbaijan Railways CJSC and submitted to the Ministry of Transport.

CE: Which projects are being implemented within the framework of the state program?

Arif Asgarov: According to the agreement signed between VEST QAS enterprise and Azerbaijani Railways CJSC in February 2009, 5 cars for Express train were sent to Sazvzuduki plant of the Slovak Republic for an overhaul repair. Repaired cars returned to the republic on October 28, 2011. Service life of these cars comprises 28 years. Thus, they will be able to operate till 2039 at the speed 160km/h. President of Azerbaijan visited a passenger station of Baku on November 24, 2011 and checked 5 passenger cars in which overhaul reconditioning had been performed in Slovakia. 

In general, a number of activities are planned to be carried out in the country in order to reconstruct the car fleet. Repair of operating cars is currently being performed. Thus, 60 passenger cars have been recently sent to Dnepropetrovsk (Ukraine) and 16 to the city of Voronej (Russian Federation). After completion of renovation, they were brought back to the republic and put into operation on Baku-Tbilisi and Baku-Moscow lines.    

Operations on reconstruction of power supply, signaling and communication systems are at stage of commencement. Acquisition of new different purpose locomotives and cars is also on the agenda.   

Corresponding procedural work is continued for purchase of 50 new cargo alternating-current locomotives within the framework of the World Bank project that envisages switch of traction system of Baku-Boyuk-kesim section to alternating voltage (25kV). 

As a result of some reorganization works on reconstruction of the material base of Emergency Train LLC the new equipment, carriages and mechanisms, materials were purchased for Emergency Train LLC and distributed between Ganja, Bilajar, Hajigabul, Imishli, Evlakh and Shabrab sections for the purpose to prevent probable spills in the process of transportation. 

Operations on construction of the second new bridge under the Kur River and the branch railway line passing over the bridge on the 73rd km of the Saloglu-Poylu section as well as reconstruction of the reinforced-concrete bridge over the Valvalachay River on the 2,508th km of the Charkhy-Shirvan section and the metal bridge over the Araz River on the 98th kilometer of the Saatly-Bedzhar section have been completed. 

With the purpose to maintain and repair the railroads new maintenance machines GSM09-32, RM – 80 and UPS – 2000 were purchased from Austria. The construction of a hangar has been accomplished in the Bilajar workshop to maintain their operation on the proper level. 

Within the frame of the State Program, the works on reconstruction of water-pumping and sewerage systems in the territory of the Bilajar station launched early in 2012 have been completed. Production and transportation of long size rails (800m) at the rail welding train #24 in Salyan were commenced on February 22, 2012. The second production line and the plant bunker of the Gyzyldzha Gyrmadash Plant came on stream on July 4, 2012. It should be also noted that the non-cash payment has been introduced for booking of tickets since March, 2012 by means of POS terminals installed at booking offices of the Baku passenger railway station. It is obvious that safe movement of trains will be provided and the train traveling speed increased as a result of introduction of operations provided in the State Programme. 

Fulfilling the order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan to prepare the Concept of development “Azerbaijan 2020: future outlooks”, Capital construction and technical control LLC fulfilled a number of important operations on implementation of projects, arising from the State Programme, and development of the feasibility study and technical documentation as well as preparation of the railway development concept until 2020. 

Resuming the abovementioned, I would like to note that the railway employees will keep gaining higher achievements in future, applying all potential capabilities for successful implementation of tasks assigned to us by the state and the government as well as justify the trust vested to them by practical work. The State Program on development of the railroad transportation system in Azerbaijan for 2010-2014 provides broad opportunities for the railway development. We are sure that the strategy predetermined by Nationwide Leader Heydar Aliyev and implemented by President Ilham Aliyev will enable Azerbaijan Railways CJSC to occupy its worthy position among the most developed railroads of the world.