Azerbaijan Railways Presents Its First Sustainability Report

On Wednesday, Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) presented its first sustainability report, highlighting the company’s achievements and plans to contribute to the climate action.

The report gave a broad insight into the efforts for achieving decarbonization goals in Azerbaijan’s sustainable transport sector, particularly railways, through green innovations and advanced digital solutions.

ADY Chairman Rovshan Rustamov addressed the role of railways in building sustainable transportation, noting that reducing emissions and increasing energy efficiency are the top priorities. He stated that railway transport accounts for only 1% of global carbon emissions, making it one of the most efficient forms of transportation.

Rustamov went on introducing ADY’s efforts in this regard, primarily the current achievements and upcoming plans. He mentioned that railway transport in Azerbaijan accounts for 1.12% of total national energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions from the sector are less than 0.5%.

"Our goal is to establish a fully carbon-neutral railway system. We are proud to be the first state railway company in the Caucasus and Central Asia to cooperate with the Asian Development Bank on decarbonization. This partnership will help us achieve a 35% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030," he said.

Following Rustamov's speech, James Leder, the Asian Development Bank’s Director of Transportation, provided insights into Azerbaijan’s progress in the decarbonization of the railway system.

On the sidelines of the event, Rustamov and Leder signed a "Mission Report" between ADY and the Asian Development Bank for providing technical assistance in the decarbonization process in the railway network of Azerbaijan.

ADY has made significant progress in reducing carbon emissions, electrifying railways, and transitioning to alternative energy sources in its operations. Since 2023, ADY has successfully reduced energy consumption by 5%, natural gas use by 16%, water consumption by 23%, and carbon emissions by 9%. Currently, 63% of the Azerbaijani railway network is electrified. In 2023, 100% of passengers and 80% of freight have been transported on board the net-zero electric trains.

The modern high-speed trains in ADY’s fleet and advanced technologies are crucial in reducing energy consumption. Since 2023, ADY has also completely phased out paper tickets for suburban routes, introducing online tickets on “ADY Mobile” application and corporate website.

For cargo transportation, ADY has introduced “ADY Smart” one-stop-shop digital platform that allows issuing e-permissions for cargo owners and tracking the entire process of the cargo documentation without paper-based operations.

To further reduce its carbon footprint, ADY has been extensively using renewable energy sources by installing over 650 solar panels at its locomotive depots. These solar panels have generated 79,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, saving more than 8,000 cubic meters of natural gas and significantly reducing carbon emissions.

As part of its decarbonization efforts, ADY has set a priority for the coming year to digitalize and optimize both freight and passenger operations. Through digitalization, the company aims to increase operational efficiency, reduce fuel consumption and emissions, and transition to paperless documentation.