Baku Metro accelerates expansion ahead of 2030 vision

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Baku Metro is moving into a new phase of growth, with fresh construction on the Purple and Green lines, rising passenger numbers and long-term expansion plans that are set to change how residents and visitors move around the Azerbaijani capital.

Strategic network growth targets a much larger system

Publicly available plans indicate that Baku Metro is being reshaped from a compact Soviet-era system into a significantly larger urban rail network. Background documents on the system’s long-term program describe an ambition to grow from several dozen kilometers of track and a little over 20 stations to a network approaching 120 kilometers and more than 70 stations over the coming years. This expansion is framed as a key element of Baku’s broader transport strategy, responding to population growth, congestion and rising visitor numbers.

The metro currently operates three main lines, commonly known as the Red, Green and Purple lines, with the Red and Green lines forming the historical backbone of the system and the Purple line representing the newest corridor. Together they connect central Baku with major residential districts, industrial zones and key interchange hubs, including the city’s main railway terminal. Recent coverage of official planning documents suggests that all three corridors are expected to see further extensions and new transfer stations as part of the city’s long-range transport program.

For travelers, a larger network is positioned as a way to provide more direct journeys between outlying districts and the city’s business and waterfront areas, which are among Baku’s main draws. Additional stations are expected to reduce the pressure on existing central interchanges that currently handle a large share of daily passenger flows.

Purple Line construction advances on western corridor

The Purple Line, the newest of Baku’s metro corridors, is at the center of current construction activity. The line, which presently runs for just over six kilometers with a small number of operational stations, is planned to evolve into a longer axis serving the city’s northwestern districts. Company statements and local media reports indicate that a total of up to 10 new stations are envisaged on the line in its completed form, most of them designed as transfer or interchange points with other routes.

One of the most visible projects is the station known by its working code “B-04,” located along Jalil Mammadguluzade Street. According to recent reporting, main structural works at this station are largely in place, with installation of ventilation systems, escalators, elevators and other technical equipment underway. The station is described as part of a wider sequence of Purple Line infill and extension projects, and its completion has been tied in public documentation to the middle of the current decade.

Information published on the Baku Metro corporate site notes that B-04 is not an isolated project but part of a larger program for the Purple Line that foresees multiple additional stations and complex underground junctions. These future additions are planned to create new interchange opportunities with the Green line and to extend service toward rapidly developing residential zones on the city’s western fringe.

Green Line backed by international financing for Phase II

While much attention has focused on the Purple Line, the Green Line is also entering a major expansion phase. Project documents released by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank describe a proposed Phase II scheme for the Green Line, which would finance around eight kilometers of new twin-bore tunnels and four underground stations. The works are intended to extend the line, increase capacity and improve resilience on one of Baku’s most heavily used corridors.

The same material highlights that this Green Line project sits within a broader, multi-phase national program for Baku Metro. That program includes completion of maintenance depots, signaling modernization, operational digitalization and rolling-stock renewal, alongside an Asian Development Bank–supported component for Purple Line expansion. Together, these initiatives are designed to shorten train headways on key routes, introduce more accessible stations with step-free access and improve passenger information systems across the network.

Additional reporting from local business outlets shows that Baku Metro has recently engaged international engineering consultants to prepare detailed designs for a series of new stations on both the Green and Purple lines. Design contracts reportedly cover stations designated Y14 to Y17 on the Green Line and B5 to B8 on the Purple Line, as well as associated tunnels and complex underground structures at major interchange points in the city center.

Rider numbers rebound, reinforcing metro’s role in daily travel

Passenger statistics released by Baku Metro for the year 2023 illustrate how quickly ridership has recovered in the post-pandemic period. Company summaries indicate that average daily usage reached well over 600,000 trips, with some days approaching or surpassing 850,000 journeys across the network. The data show that late autumn and early winter were among the busiest periods, reflecting both commuter flows and seasonal events in the capital.

These volumes underscore the metro’s importance in Baku’s urban mobility mix. With surface traffic often constrained by congestion on key arteries, the underground system remains one of the most reliable ways to move quickly between residential districts, employment centers and cultural attractions along the Caspian Sea waterfront. The growth in patronage is cited in official and multilateral planning documents as a core justification for further extensions, capacity upgrades and accessibility improvements.

For visitors, high ridership translates into frequent services on the central sections of the Red and Green lines, particularly during peak hours, and relatively short headways on parts of the newer Purple Line. As additional sections open and signaling is modernized, project sponsors forecast denser service and more evenly distributed passenger loads across the network.

Implications for visitors and future connectivity

Although current expansion works are heavily focused on the needs of daily commuters, the evolving metro map is also reshaping how visitors experience Baku. As new stations on the Purple and Green lines are completed, they are expected to improve access to outlying neighborhoods, new residential districts and emerging commercial areas that have not historically been easy to reach by rail. This may broaden the range of districts that tourists and business travelers consider when choosing accommodation or planning day trips within the city.

Planning documents and public communications related to the wider metro program also highlight potential environmental benefits from the expansion. International financing proposals for the Green Line Phase II reference anticipated reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions by encouraging a shift from private vehicles and minibuses to electric rail. Higher metro capacity, shorter headways and more convenient connections are presented as key tools for making public transport more attractive to both residents and visitors.

As Baku Metro moves through this next construction cycle, travelers can expect intermittent short-term disruptions near work sites, particularly in districts where tunnels and station entrances are being built beneath busy streets. However, local reporting suggests that the medium-term goal remains a more extensive, more accessible network that supports the city’s ambitions as a regional business hub and travel destination.