The railway line from Sumgait, near Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Yalama on the Russian border has a total length of 172 km and runs along the coast of the Caspian Sea. The section comprises 18 stations and over 200 small and middle-sized bridges and culverts. After 50 years of operation, the railway line is in a dilapidated state and characterized by the poor condition of the track alignment as well as a considerable need of refurbishment of superstructure and engineering structures. There are speed limits down to 25 km/h, while other sections allow speeds of up to 100 km/h.
As part of the Railway Sector Development Program, the Azerbaijani government is investing in the rehabilitation of the Yalama-Sumgait section. Construction works include the rehabilitation and new construction of engineering structures and the relocation of the superstructure including sleepers, ballast, installation of continuously welded rails and the replacement of the protective layer. Some sections require a re-alignment to reach the target speed of 140 km/h for passenger traffic and 80 km/h for freight traffic. The construction works are carried out under operation; within the construction areas the route will be partially closed-off and operated as single track.
SSF Ingenieure AG, together with Kocks Consult (Koblenz), is responsible for verification of the final design, construction management and construction supervision. Contracts have been signed recently and now nothing is in the way of starting the rehabilitation works.
We wish the international team on-site success in terms of ensuring the works of this important and challenging project within schedule and in excellent quality.
