Iron European Integration

Due to global climate challenges, countries are creating transport policies that are appropriate for their environmental impact. This includes the production of electric vehicles and the development of rail transport. The European Union has declared 2021 the Year of Railways, as rail transport has been recognized as a means of reducing the spread of the epidemic and at the same time a climate-neutral mode of transport. China has also made major investments in rail infrastructure over the past decade.

Georgia's declared European integration should primarily consist of people. To do this, citizens must have the opportunity to travel to Europe in an affordable and comfortable way. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars highway is a direct means of all this, and many other indirect opportunities are opening up for Georgia, such as the development of national tourism, cheap travel to Turkey for medical and other services, travel from Armenia to Europe through the Akhalkalaki station, as well as passenger transportation between the countries of Europe and Central Asia, etc. If we want integration with Europe, then we must have modern railway traffic on the route: Baku-Tbilisi-Istanbul-Vienna. From the Vienna station, with a well-developed railway network, it is possible to travel to any major city in Europe.

The creation of the world's first travel agency is also due to the railway. In 1841, the Englishman Thomas Cook planned an excursion for 540 people to attend an event in London. The trip was successful, and Cook expanded his business to the United States and Europe. He offered passengers a full package of services with transportation, accommodation, and meals. In 1873, the travel agency Thomas Cook and Son published an international railway timetable, which is still published today, and by 1890 the agency was selling more than 3 million tickets a year.

The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway opened in 2017 and is still operating in test mode.

Source: tv9news.ge