Passenger rail transport in Georgia cost more than ₾56 million in 2025, with ticket sales covering just over half of total expenses.
The Railway Transport Agency reports that total spending reached ₾56,403,229, while revenue from ticket sales amounted to ₾31,268,652. The remaining gap — nearly ₾25 million — was partly covered by the state, which provided around ₾8 million, or 32% of the deficit.
The Agency says the compensation is allocated annually under a public service obligation mechanism, with funding disbursed by the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia.
The report notes that revenues include only ticket sales, while costs are calculated per train-kilometer, covering direct, indirect, and infrastructure usage expenses.
Passenger numbers reached 1,678,421 in 2025. Of these, 65% traveled on main routes and 35% on suburban lines. Despite strong seasonal demand — with load factors exceeding 100% on some main routes — the average load factor declined to 64% in 2025 from 75% in 2024.
Separate data from Geostat shows that freight transport by rail fell by 3% year-on-year, totaling 13.3 million tons. Of this, 7.9% was domestic transport, 34.7% international (excluding transit), and 57.5% transit cargo.
