The leaders of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia launched an 826-kilometer (500-mile) rail link connecting the three countries, establishing a freight and passenger link between Europe and China that bypasses Russia, Hurriyet reports.
The line, which includes 105 km of new track, will have the capacity to transport one million passengers and 6.5 million tons of freight. The capacity will rise to three million passengers and 17 million tons of freight by 2034.