Georgia is becoming an ever-more favorable and friendly environment for travelers, both local and foreign, increasingly offering new comfort and choice. Georgian Railway is stepping up its own services, considering the high demand of Georgia’s Black Sea resorts in the summer, with the intention of putting into operation four new double-decker trains from the Switzerland Stadler Rail AG Company this July.

“The four new trains are equipped with all modern equipment and ultramodern security systems, which fully meet European standards. What’s more, they will be the first trains in Georgia to fully meet the needs of people with disabilities, something that is really important for us,” said representatives of Georgian Railway.

The new trains will operate from Tbilisi to various Black Sea resort cities, like Batumi, Kobuleti and Ureki. Moreover, the trains will not stop at other stations along the way, so allowing faster travel and more comfort for passengers. Each new train will be able to service about 530 passengers at once and reach a maximum speed of 160 km/h.

And while the trains will now be of European standard, Georgian Railway says it has no plans to raise the cost of tickets. At present, a ticket from Tbilisi to Batumi costs 19-26 GEL.

Georgian Railway claims they were able to buy trains at relatively low rates. “The reason for this was that in the railway sector we are seeing a decline in demand, which has led to lower prices,” said Mamuka Bakhtadze, the Director General of Georgian Railway. “We are grateful to the Stadler Company for understanding our situation and adjusting their prices accordingly.”

Stadler is a leader in its field. They will provide the KISS train model for Georgia, which is available in both the S-Bahn train and the long-distance train variants (Intercity and inter -regional transportation).

Moreover, Georgian Railway noted, the staff working on the new trains will be trained in Europe in order to ensure the expected high standard of service.

Eka Karsaulidze

25 April 2016 20:06