Starting under the leadership of the great leader Heydar Aliyev, the process of developing and modernizing the transport infrastructure, including the railway sector, continues successfully by President Ilham Aliyev.
According to the decree signed by President Ilham Aliyev on October 7, 2005, establishing the "Professional Holiday of Railway Workers," October 13 is celebrated every year as the day of the independent Azerbaijani railway, marking the day the Azerbaijani railway was established.
With the decree dated July 20, 2009, the Closed Joint-Stock Company "Azerbaijan Railways" was established to bring the railway transport system up to international standards. By a relevant decision of the Cabinet of Ministers, the charter and structure of "Azerbaijan Railways" CJSC were approved on February 15, 2010.
On July 6, 2010, President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree approving the "State Program for the Development of the Railway Transport System in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2010–2014." The program includes all aspects necessary to ensure the rapid development of Azerbaijan's railway transport. Implementing the state program aims to increase Azerbaijan's transit potential, improve the level of services in railway transport, and ensure the effective operation of the transport complex by reducing transportation costs for passengers and cargo.
On September 18, 2015, "Azerbaijan State Railways" CJSC was declared an independent entity, removed from the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport. This decision has allowed "Azerbaijan State Railways" to operate more efficiently and flexibly.
During this period, the reconstruction of the Absheron circular railway route began. Two-story high-speed electric trains were purchased from Switzerland's Stadler Rail Group for use on the electrified Baku–Sumgait railway. A contract was signed for the purchase of electric locomotives from the French company Alstom for the Baku–Boyuk Kasik route.
President Ilham Aliyev participated in the ceremony to launch the first high-speed passenger train on the Baku–Sumgait route on September 12, 2015.
The Baku railway station's opening ceremony after reconstruction was held on February 10, 2017. President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva attended the ceremony.
President Ilham Aliyev pays special attention to increasing Azerbaijan's role in international corridors and improving railway infrastructure along the North-South and East-West routes. Construction of the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars (BTK) railway line, one of the main segments of the East-West corridor, began on November 27, 2007. At the opening ceremony of the railway on October 30, 2017, President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine Erdogan, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Bakytzhan Sagintayev, Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov, as well as delegations from Tajikistan and Turkmenistan participated.
Due to the special attention of the head of state, the BTK line was modernized to meet the increasing freight demand and was reopened in May 2023.
After the Great Victory achieved in the Patriotic War, the President placed great importance on constructing railway lines in the liberated territories as part of the restoration and reconstruction work.
According to the decree dated November 24, 2020, construction and installation work on the Barda–Agdam railway line began in early December 2020. The foundation of the Horadiz–President Ilham Aliyev laid the Agbend railway line on February 14, 2021. The construction of both railway lines continues successfully.
The achievements in Azerbaijan’s railways result from President Ilham Aliyev's sensitive and attentive approach to developing, modernizing, and resolving existing issues of the "Azerbaijan Railways" CJSC.