AZE.US
A former employee of Azerbaijan Railways has criticized the level of service on the Tbilisi-Baku train, saying his 231 manat ($136) “Luxury” ticket delivered little beyond a seat in a two-person compartment.
Rasul Mammadov, who said he worked for Azerbaijan Railways, or ADY, for seven years, shared his account of the trip and said he had tried to assess the service objectively.
Mammadov was returning from the United States through Tbilisi and chose the train because a flight to Baku cost about 340 manats ($200).
ADY offered three ticket categories: Comfort for 104 manats ($61), Comfort+ for 150 manats ($89) and Luxury for 231 manats ($136). Only Luxury seats were available when his ticket was purchased.
He said he expected a private compartment, meals, a television, a shower and a personal bathroom.
“Later, I realized how wrong I was,” Mammadov wrote.
50-manat fee for a second bag
Mammadov said his airline ticket had allowed one suitcase weighing up to 23 kilograms and hand luggage of up to 10 kilograms.
At Tbilisi railway station, however, a conductor told him he had to pay an additional 50 manats ($29) for a second bag weighing about 6 kilograms.
According to Mammadov, he was told that ADY rules allowed passengers to carry only one bag free of charge.
Another passenger, who had no luggage, offered to register the bag under his own name. The conductor refused, Mammadov said.
“The answer was the same: You must pay 50 manats,” he wrote. “To avoid an argument, I paid.”
Luxury ticket, shared compartment
When he entered the compartment, Mammadov found another passenger already inside.
He said the Luxury fare did not provide a private compartment. It covered one place in a two-person cabin.
After the train departed, Mammadov asked the conductor for tea. He was told that drinks were not served in the compartment and that he would have to visit the dining car.
He also said meals were not included in the ticket price.
Mammadov described prices in the dining car as comparable to those at a five-star hotel. His order took about 90 minutes, he said, because only one person was working in the kitchen.
Internet and television did not work
Mammadov also complained about the lack of working internet, excessive heat in the compartment and a television that did not function.
After paying the baggage fee and buying dinner, he calculated that his savings compared with flying had fallen from 109 manats ($64) to about 20 manats ($12).
The train journey lasted about 10 hours.
“I wanted to save money and relive old memories, but instead I was deeply disappointed,” he wrote. “This was my first and last trip on this train.”
Mammadov said he would choose to fly in the future and urged ADY to improve passenger service on the international route.
Azerbaijan Railways had not publicly responded to the complaints at the time of publication.
AZE.US