Due to the organization of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Baku, several changes will be implemented in the city's transportation sector.
APA-Economics investigated how to organize the movement of private vehicles and public transport in the capital during COP29.
Partial restrictions on entering Baku
During COP29, vehicles registered in regions of Azerbaijan will not face restrictions when entering Baku. Additionally, there will be no checks at the city's entry posts for vehicles coming from the regions.
However, several streets and avenues in Baku will have their traffic directions altered. For example, vehicles entering the city from the 14th kilometer of the Baku-Salyan road will be redirected towards the Baku ring road near the Lokbatan Circle control post, from where they can proceed towards the Badamdar area. Drivers wishing to enter the Yasamal district or the area known as "Shamakhinka" will be allowed to pass through control posts at intervals. As a result, during the event, the main traffic in Baku will be directed towards Bilajari, Baku International Bus Terminal Complex, and the Sumgait direction. Traffic coming from the Shamakhi-Ismayilli direction will face partial restrictions at control posts on the Mushfigabad-Khojasan road, and vehicles will be allowed to pass intermittently via the Shamakhinka area and return to the "Ziya Bunyadov" Avenue direction. For traffic coming from the Guba-Sumgait direction, there will be temporary restrictions at the fuel station near the entrance to Sumgait city, with vehicles allowed to pass at intervals. Vehicles traveling from the Sumgait-Novkhani direction will be intermittently allowed to pass through a control post on the Binagadi-Baksol road.
Changes within the city
Traffic direction will also be changed on some streets and avenues inside Baku. Vehicles heading from the city center towards the Airport will use "Nizami" Street, then "Yusif Safarov" Street, "Izzet Orujov" Street, and "Fazail Bayramov" Street to turn left onto "8 November" Avenue, which will lead them to the Zigh road towards the Airport.
Those moving along Heydar Aliyev Avenue will use a secondary route passing through the "Bakikhanov" settlement area, continuing to Sabunchu-Zabrat, and can exit onto the Sabunchu-Zabrat road under the Komsomol Bridge after passing "Beshir Bunyadov", "Yaver Aliyev" Streets, and "Asif Asadullayev" Street. Traffic coming from "Koroghlu Rahimov" or "Abdulazal Demirchizade" streets will use "Yusif Safarov" and "10th Zavod" streets to pass behind the Baku City Main Police Department building and continue to "Dilara Aliyeva" and "Rashid Behbudov" streets.
Drivers coming from the direction of the Bilgah Cardiological Sanatorium, as well as those from the Mashtagha settlement area known as "Albalilig," wishing to head towards the Airport, will be able to pass through Mardakan, then continue towards Shuvalan, reach the Gala Circle, and from there proceed onto the Zigh road. Drivers coming from the Airport direction will take the Zigh road, then move onto "8 November" Avenue, continuing via "Afiyaddin Jalilov" Street, "Fazail Bayramov" Street, and "Mehdi Mehdizadeh" Street. Drivers heading towards the city from Sabunchu district will travel along the Balakhani road, passing through Binagadi, and continue either towards the north or the city center.
On the days of COP 29, Baku's "Matbuat", "Huseyn Javid", "Inshaatchilar", "Ziya Bunyadov", "Ataturk", "Babek", "Gara Garayev", "Tbilisi", "Azerbaijan", "Parliament" avenues, "Fatali Khan Khoyski", "Jafar Jabbarli", "Abbasmirza Sharifzade" and "Istiglaliyet" streets will be fully open to traffic. Traffic will be temporarily restricted on "Tbilisi" Avenue only at the intersection of "Shafayat Mehdiyev" Street and "Izmir" Street.
Changes to bus routes
During COP29, 57 bus routes in Baku will undergo changes. Only the 163, 184, and 214 bus routes will operate around the "Pyramid" area near the Koroghlu metro station. These buses will provide service to the Ramana, Zabrat, and Surakhani districts. The opposite side of the road will be used for COP29 operations. Other buses coming from the city's central areas to Koroghlu metro station will be redirected to Ulduz metro station, while the remaining routes will head to Gara Garayev metro and other metro stations. For the first four days of COP29, more than 10 bus routes will cease operation. Additionally, since November 4, several bus routes, including lines 1, 24, 93, 163, 60, 13, 184, 197, 198, 7B, 38, 71, 107, 118A, 118B, 131, 139, 173A, 173B, 189, 204, 216, 217, M8, 15, 148, 162, 166, 38, 62, 70, 184, and 214, will have their final and intermediate stops changed. Between November 9 and 24, COP29 participants can use buses free of charge.
How will the metro operate?
Baku Metro stations will be open for passenger entry from 5:00 on November 11-13. Although these days are non-working days in Azerbaijan, the metro’s schedule will follow that of regular working days. During these 3 days, trains on the Red Line’s “Hazi Aslanov–28 May” segment will run every 2 minutes from 7:00 to 10:00 and from 17:30 to 19:30. On the Green and Red Line junction at “28 May” station, train intervals to “Darnagul” (Green Line) and “Icherisheher” (Red Line) will be twice as long.
On the “Hazi Aslanov–28 May” section, intervals will be 2,5 minutes at midday, and 3 minutes or more early in the morning and late at night when passenger numbers drop. During weekends, train intervals will be regulated differently: on Saturdays, trains will run every 2,5 minutes from 7:00 to 21:00, and on Sundays, every 3 minutes within the same hours. On the Purple Line, intervals between trains on the “Avtovaghzal–8 Noyabr” section have been set at 8 minutes, while on the “Khojasan–Avtovaghzal” route, they will primarily be 16 minutes. Train schedules to and from “Bakmil” station on November 11-13 will follow the weekday schedule. For other days during COP29, the metro will operate on its standard autumn-winter schedule. From November 6-22, COP29 participants will have free access to the metro.
Railway schedules have been modified
All structures of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC have switched to an enhanced working regime as of November 1. From November 11-23, the schedule for trains on the “Baku–Khirdalan–Sumgait–Baku” route has been modified. Specifically, the departures from Baku at 8:10, 17:50, and 19:05, from “Sumgait” at 7:20, and from “Khirdalan” at 8:40 and 18:20 are temporarily canceled and on these dates (excluding November 17, which falls on a weekend), trains will operate according to the weekday schedule. Schedules for other trains on the “Khirdalan” direction and on the “Baku–Pirshaghi–Sumgait–Baku” route will remain unchanged. From November 9-24, all individuals accredited for the COP29 event will be able to use the railway free of charge.
How will transportation from the airport operate?
For the first three days of the event, it will not be possible to reach the city center from Heydar Aliyev International Airport by private vehicle. Local and foreign citizens arriving in Baku from abroad will need to use the H1 and H2 buses available at the airport.
The H1 route will run between the airport and the “28 May” area with a 10-minute interval, while the H2 route will cover the airport to the “Ahmadli” metro station with a 15-minute interval. However, vehicles will still be able to enter the airport area to drop off passengers. From November 10-14, only passengers with flight tickets will be allowed to enter Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
To transport event participants to their destinations, 16 transport hubs will be operational. The hubs will be located near hotels and residential complexes where participants are accommodated.
COP29 lanes
Note that special lanes have been designated on the capital’s roads in connection with COP29. As of November 1, access to lanes on 26 streets and avenues, including “Neftchilar”, “Heydar Aliyev”, “Khojaly”, “Shah Ismayil Khatai”, “Parliament”, “Bulbul”, and “Azadliq” avenues, as well as “Zughulba” road, “Airport”, “Zigh” and “Salyan” highways, and streets such as “Bunyad Sardarov”, “Hasan Seyidbayli”, “Sheikh Shamil”, “Mirzaagha Aliyev”, “Hasanoghlu”, “Mikayil Useynov” (toward Flag Square), “Gulara Gadirbayova”, “Niyazi”, “Istiglaliyyat”, “Uzeyir Hajibayli”, “Koroghlu Rahimov”, “Mehdi Huseyn”, “Mikayil Mushfig”, “Hasan Aliyev”, and “Fatali Khan Khoyski”, is restricted. Only special service and event vehicles, red electric taxis, and public transport are permitted in COP29 lanes.
Special stickers, access permits, and parking authorizations have been issued to service and event vehicles. Additionally, emergency medical vehicles will also be able to use COP29 lanes.
Recall that Baku will host the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from November 11-22.
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