Grain Hopper Cars Cross Borders

According to the company, 15 grain hopper cars loaded with 1,050 tons of wheat were dispatched to Armenia from Dimitrovgrad station in the Ulyanovsk region. The destination was Dalarik station on the South Caucasian Railway. The train passed through the Samur border crossing on the Russian-Azerbaijani border, crossed through Azerbaijan and Georgia, and arrived in Armenia on November 5.

"This new logistics service was made possible by the decision to resume the transit of goods to Armenia through Azerbaijan, allowing such shipments for the first time since the 1990s," Russian Railways stated in their statement.
According to plans, an additional 132 grain hopper cars carrying wheat will travel this route by the end of January 2026. Authorities are also exploring the possibility of transporting other types of cargo along this corridor.

The wheat shipments were handled by Grain Gates, with Rusagrotrans (a subsidiary of Demetra Holding) serving as the operating carrier. In their statement, Demetra highlighted that the new rail corridor, which establishes direct connectivity between Russia and Armenia, significantly reduces transportation costs while enhancing supply reliability.

Until now, goods bound for Armenia have primarily moved by grain trucks through land border crossings or by sea through Georgian ports. Armenia annually imports around 500,000 tons of wheat, barley, and corn, with almost the entire volume coming from Russia. The development of this railway route opens additional opportunities for increasing exports to South Caucasus countries, according to the agricultural holding company.

Alexei Melnikov, General Director of South Caucasian Railway (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Russian Railways), called the grain delivery by rail a milestone event for the company. "From now on, we can deliver goods to Armenia from other countries, to the extent that we can organize container shipments from China," he stated.

He also pointed out that establishing this railway connection will help alleviate congestion at the Upper Lars checkpoint on the Russian-Georgian border and eliminate the need for "relatively costly" shipments through Black Sea ports. He emphasized that the route will become a vital and sought-after transportation corridor not only for companies making bulk grain deliveries to Armenia but also for other trading partners, particularly those importing petroleum products.

Previously, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk reported that Russian Railways, together with South Caucasus railway operators, were working on organizing the transit of Russian goods to Armenia through Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev announced the lifting of the ban on such transit on October 21.