ISTANBUL, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Turkey expects freight transport to increase on the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railroad in the coming period when structural obstacles will be completely eliminated, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoglu said Wednesday.

The 840-km-long BTK railroad linking Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia was completed in 2017. It shortened the Asia-Europe transportation route between Beijing and London by some 7,000 km.

"The elimination of the problems encountered on the BTK will make the Middle Corridor the preferred line," Karaismailoglu told the state-run Anadolu agency.

The Middle Corridor links Turkey and Europe with China via a trans-Caspian transport route, which includes BTK.

When the freight volume on the BTK would grow, the minister added, it would reach a level that can compete with other transport corridors and contribute to the economies of the countries in the region even further.

Last week, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia signed a protocol to improve freight transport on the BTK line in Istanbul.

According to Karaismailoglu, the protocol would remove the structural obstacles before using the line to full potential through joint work. Enditem

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