The building and growth of Azerbaijan's first railway were closely tied to oil transportation.

The presence of oil in Absheron has been known since ancient times. Baku oil was extracted unorganized for a long period and used mainly for lighting and medicinal purposes in Azerbaijan, Middle and Central Asian countries, Russia, and India where it was exported.  The first drilling well in 1871 and subsequent advancements in drilling technology led to a significant increase in oil production, particularly after the abolition of the purchase system in the early 1870s.  The need to enhance oil transportation became critical amidst a surge in oil production.

Oil was transported from the main oil extraction sites of Sabunchu, Surakhani, and Balakhani to the Baku oil refineries, then through the Caspian Sea to the central regions of Russia using a basic caravan system. Approximately 10,000 wooden tanks and wineskins were utilized for this process.

This method was extremely costly and posed a significant barrier to the continued growth of the oil industry. The oil industrialists in Baku were keen on constructing railway lines and pipelines to increase their profits. Without overstating, it can be concluded that the primary motive behind establishing the railway in Baku and Azerbaijan was the Baku oil production and its industrial refinement. The oil entrepreneurs continuously made requests to the Committee of Ministers regarding a railway connecting the mines to the oil refineries. Eventually, their consistent requests paid off. At a Committee of Ministers meeting on June 16, 1878, attended by Tsar Alexander II, the project to build a railway in the oil industry was approved. The construction of the 25.2 verst long railway was assigned to the Poti-Tbilisi railway company. The company committed to building the lines within a year and a half. Engineer Krubets was tasked with overseeing the construction project. Materials and equipment required for the construction were quickly dispatched to Baku.

In December 1878, Krubets sent a letter to the city administration expressing the urgent need to construct extra warehouses in the Black City for storing equipment.

A key objective during the railway construction was the prompt implementation of the alienation process for the territories along the Balakhani and Surakhani lanes. The evaluation of these lands was assigned by the city administration to the public commission led by philanthropist Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev. The Commission examined and assessed the alienated land parcels totaling over 21 desyats at a value of 34,580 rubles. The construction costs of railway lines in the oil sector totaled 784,872 rubles. Construction of the railway began in 1878 and was completed in 1879. On December 17, cargoes were received for transportation at Balakhani, Surakhani, and Sabunchu stations.

20 January 1880 marked the official opening of the railway. For the first time in the world, oil began to be transported through this route using tank cars.  The day is recognized as the official founding date of the railway in Azerbaijan. Baku-Sabunchu-Surakhani railway was initially used only for the transportation of oil. Oil was transported by tank cars along this line for the first time in history. Shortly after, passenger transportation began operating on the same route. It took 50-60 minutes to get from Baku to Sabunchu and 90 minutes from Baku to Surakhani. The Baku-Sabunchu-Surakhani railway line was fully operational for passengers due to the growth of pipeline infrastructure on the Absheron peninsula.

The Baku-Yelizavetpol (Ganja)-Tbilisi main railway line was inaugurated in 1883. The inaugural oil shipment from the Baku rail yard, Azerbaijan's first, to Tbilisi occurred on May 8, 1883.  Due to the railway linking the city of Tbilisi to Poti, oil could be transported quickly to the Black Sea coast. The layout of the port of Poti made it unsuitable for transporting significant amounts of oil. Hence, the more convenient Batumi port was furnished with the necessary gear for swift oil transportation, and the railway connecting Tbilisi to Batumi was constructed. Since the Tbilisi-Gori-Kutaisi-Poti-Batumi Road was a continuation of the Baku-Yelizavetpol-Tbilisi highway, the railway connected the shores of the Caspian Sea and Black Sea.

The Tbilisi station was established in Baku in 1884. Initially built to ferry workers to the oil fields and port, the original station was not equipped to cater to tourists, Russian officials, and foreign businessmen journeying along the Tbilisi-Baku route. A modern railway station was needed to represent the rapidly growing city of Baku. The Baku railway station project, named "Tbilisi station", was approved on November 10, 1882. Khrisanf Konstantinovich Vasiliev, the architect of the Baku-Tbilisi railway project, was the designer. The grand opening of the station was held on January 10, 1884. The Tbilisi station was considered one of the empire's most stunning stations.

The construction of the railway Port-Petrovsk (Makhachgala)-Derbent was authorized in 1896, followed by the approval of the Baku-Derbent railway in 1897. The feasibility study highlighted a significant demand for a direct route to transport goods from Baku to Russia. In 1900, Azerbaijan was connected to the railway network of the Russian Empire, and in that same year, the Baku-Bilajari-Derbent-Port-Petrovsk (Makhachgala) railway was constructed. After the construction of the Baku-Derbent road, the volume of oil sent north increased: in 1883, 12.5 million poods (205 thousand tons) of oil were transported from Baku to the north, and in 1901, 51.6 million poods (845 thousand tons) of oil were transported.

In the time of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the emphasis was on the development of the railway and its collaborative scientific and technical partnership with the Republic of Turkey. During this period, one of the most significant projects was to restore the Alat-Julfa railway line construction, which had originally commenced in 1916. The Alat-Julfa railway was of immense economic and military-strategic importance, intended to connect Baku with Tabriz. Despite the interruption caused by the October Revolution in Russia, Azerbaijani workers persevered in constructing the railway using their resources. The project gained momentum during the period of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic government prioritized the security of railway stations and lines, leading to the creation of the Military Railway Men's School on September 4, 1919, with an initial group of 20 students. Considering the strong ties between the Turkish state and the ADR, an agreement was signed between the two states in July 1918. Under the agreement, Turkey committed to providing material and technical support to Azerbaijan's railway system and ensuring its protection for 5 years. When Soviet power was established in our republic, the Azerbaijani railway was reconnected to the Russian railway network. It officially joined the Railway Union of the Transcaucasian Republics on April 14, 1921.

In February 1924, a tramway line was launched in Baku. The affordability of trams inspired the concept of constructing an electric railway on the outskirts of Baku. The Baku Soviet adopted this decision on February 29, 1924. Thanks to extraordinary efforts, all construction work was finished in 14.5 months instead of the planned 18 months. The first electrified railway in Azerbaijan, Baku-Sabunchu-Surakhani, started operating on July 6, 1926.  The advantages of the electric railway were so clear that the population was using it with satisfaction. From 1926 to 1931, 10 million passengers were transported on the Baku-Sabunchu-Surakhani line.

The Baku-Sabunchu-Surakhani electric railway line was the first electrified railway line in Azerbaijan and the entire USSR.

Recommended literature:

1. Məmmədov, Çingiz. Azərbaycan dəmir yolu tarixinin Heydər Əliyev dövrü /Ç.Məmmədov; Red. N.Əzməmmədov; Foto. Z. Zakiroğlu. - Bakı: 2007. - 327 s.
2. Azərbaycan dəmir yolu: Tarixə nəzər /"Azərb. Dəmir Yolları" Qapalı Səhmdar Cəmiyyəti ; [layihənin rəh. C. Qurbanov [ön söz] ; layihənin təşəbbüskarları və ideya müəl.: V. Aslanov, A. Hüseynova, Ə. Məlikova, N. Abbasova ; mətnin müəl. və tərtibatçısı S. Əhmədov ; elmi red. N. Vəlixanlı ; tərc.: İ. Peart, S. İbrahimova ; foto E. Musayev ; dizayner N. Novruzov]. - Bakı: [n. y.], 2020. - 235 s.
3. Qurbanov, Cavid Qənbər oğlu. Azərbaycan yol tarixi yaradıcıları ensiklopediyası: 2 cilddə /C. Qurbanov, H. İsgəndər; texn. və elmi red. S. K. Əliyev; rəyçilər. S. K. Əliyev [və b.]. I cild Azərbaycan yol tarixi idarəetmə quruluşu yaradıcıları bu gün. Yol tarixi idarəetmə quruluşu (I fəsil). - Bakı: Kraton M, 2009. - 440 s.
4. Azerbaijan railways: a historical overview /initiators of concept and project V. Aslanov, A. Huseynova; project director J. Qurbanov; compiler S. Ahmadov; academic editor N. Valikhanli; adviser N. Bayramova; trans. I. Peart, S. Ibrahimova; designer N. Novruzov; Azərbaycan Dəmir Yolları Qapalı Səhmdar Cəmiyyəti. - Bakı: Şərq-Qərb, 2020. - 235 p.