The planned City Train system linking Tbilisi with Rustavi, Mtskheta, Lilo and the airport could be expanded to Kaspi and Gori in the future by using Georgia’s existing railway infrastructure, according to Giorgi Babunashvili, head of Urban Lab.
He said the project differs from earlier surface metro proposals because it relies primarily on the current rail network rather than requiring entirely new lines, significantly reducing infrastructure costs. Additional parallel tracks could be built where needed, including on land currently occupied by unused depots and warehouses.
The Asian Development Bank has launched a tender for a feasibility study covering the Tbilisi–Rustavi, Tbilisi–Mtskheta, Tbilisi–Lilo and airport corridors. The study will assess optimal development options, focusing on existing railway infrastructure while considering new sections only where necessary. Babunashvili said the system could operate similarly to Berlin’s S-Bahn or Paris’s RER, providing flexible suburban rail services across the wider Tbilisi metropolitan area.
