According to data from the National Statistics Office of Georgia (GeoStat), Georgian Railways transported a total of 3.0 million tonnes of freight in the first quarter of 2026. This represents a slight decrease of 0.03 per cent compared to the same period last year. Of this volume, 8.6 per cent accounted for domestic haulage, 34.7 per cent for international freight (excluding transit), and 56.7 per cent for transit.

During the reporting period, 75.0 per cent of the total rail freight transported under the international haulage regime was imports into the country, while 25.0 per cent comprised exports.

Furthermore, according to the agency’s report, in the first quarter of 2026, the Russian Federation was the country of dispatch for 40.6 per cent of the total volume of freight imported by rail, Azerbaijan for 20.8 per cent, whilst each of the remaining countries of dispatch accounted for less than 10 per cent individually, totalling 38.7 per cent collectively.

In the first quarter of 2026, Kazakhstan was the country of destination for 9.8 per cent of the total volume of freight exported by rail, Armenia for 8.9 per cent, and the Russian Federation for 8.6 per cent, whilst each of the remaining recipient countries accounted for a comparatively smaller share, totalling 72.7 per cent collectively.

The distribution of the total volume of transit freight carried in the first quarter of 2026 by country of destination was as follows: China — 7.6 per cent, Turkey — 7.5 per cent, the Netherlands — 4.4 per cent, Ukraine — 2.8 per cent, Italy — 1.4 per cent, Romania — 1.0 per cent, with the remainder accounted for by other countries. During the same period, Brazil was the country of dispatch for 5.3 per cent of transit freight, Turkey for 3.0 per cent, with the remainder originating from other countries.

Of the total volume of freight transported by rail during the reporting period, 33.4 per cent fell within the commodity group of coke and refined petroleum products; 23.9 per cent within chemicals, chemical products, and man-made fibres; rubber and plastic products; and 12.3 per cent within metal ores and other mining and quarrying products. In the first quarter of 2026, the distribution by commodity group differed in the case of domestic haulage, with 63.2 per cent accounted for by metal ores and other mining and quarrying products, 17.8 per cent by coke and refined petroleum products, and 13.7 per cent by the transport equipment commodity group.

As regards international freight, during the reporting period the principal commodities imported by rail were coke and refined petroleum products (52.7 per cent), other non-metallic mineral products (12.9 per cent), metal ores and other mining and quarrying products (10.5 per cent), coal and lignite; crude petroleum and natural gas (6.9 per cent), agricultural, hunting, and forestry products (3.8 per cent), chemicals and chemical products and man-made fibres (3.7 per cent), and basic metals (3.6 per cent); whilst the principal commodities exported by rail were chemicals, chemical products, and man-made fibres (38.5 per cent), food products, beverages and tobacco (25.7 per cent), basic metals (12.7 per cent), and metal ores and other mining and quarrying products (12.6 per cent).
According to Geostat, in the first quarter of 2026, 76.2 per cent of the total volume of transit freight was accounted for by three commodity groups: chemicals, chemical products, and man-made fibres (34.6 per cent), coke and refined petroleum products (31.6 per cent), and food products, beverages and tobacco (10.0 per cent).

Furthermore, according to the National Statistics Office, in the first quarter of 2026, Georgian Railways transported 301,800 passengers — a decrease of 13.5 per cent compared to the same period the previous year. During this time, passenger turnover reached 68.3 million passenger-kilometres, reflecting a decline of 13.8 per cent from the corresponding period in the previous year.

In the first quarter of 2026, a total of 298,000 passengers were transported under the domestic service regime. This accounted for 98.7 per cent of all passengers carried by rail during that period, representing a 13.8 per cent decrease compared to the same period in 2025. Meanwhile, 3,800 passengers were carried under the international service regime, an increase of 26.1 per cent on the corresponding period of the previous year. Of the passengers carried under the international service regime, 73.1 per cent arrived from Armenia, whilst 26.9 per cent travelled to Armenia. No passengers were carried in the direction of any other neighbouring country during the first quarter of 2026.