Baku suburban railway
The Baku suburban railway or Absheron Circular Railway is a commuter rail service which began in 2019, serving the Azerbaijani capital Baku.Background
In 2016, Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways Javid Gurbanov confirmed work is underway on a railway line to Heydar Aliyev International Airport from Baku's main station.
In 2018, president Ilham Aliyev announced funding for a suburban rail service for Baku. The 100 million manat project will include upgrading the existing railway between Baku and Sumqayıt via Biləcəri, as well as bringing back into use the disused route connecting the two cities via Sabunçu and Pirşağı. The plans included 23 stations on the route, which would also have branches to Dübandi and Maştağa, with a branch serving the airport being built under a later phase.
The initial phase of the service was launched in May 2019, connecting Baku station with Sabunçu via four intermediate stations. By 2020, the line was extended to Sumqayit, linking
to the existing Baku–Sumqayit railway to form a circle line.Stations
At its 2019 opening, the suburban railway served seven stations. In 2020 eight stations were added, bringing the total number to 15 stations.
