The first freight train, which set off from the eastern Chinese city of Jinhua to the Turkmenbashi port in Turkmenistan, has launched an important trade corridor by shipping goods across the Caspian Sea to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Carrying 100 TEU (20-foot containers) of goods such as daily necessities, clothing and hardware accessories, the train service reduces transit time by approximately one day with a multimodal transportation system consisting of a “railway-sea-railway” combination.
Details and Importance of the New Route
The cargo of the train, which set off on Wednesday, will be shipped to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, via the Caspian Sea after reaching Turkmenbashi. With this first train service, Jinhua-Turkmenbashi-Baku multimodal transport corridor has been officially opened. This new corridor is the 26th China-Europe freight route starting from China's Zhejiang province.
The train will leave the country from the city of Horgos in northwestern Xinjiang, said Wu Xiaoping, director of the Jinhua operations department of the railway logistics center in Hangzhou, central Zhejiang province. The train later said, Almaty of Kazakhstan, Tashkent of Uzbekistan and Ashgabat of Turkmenistan It will pass through important Central Asian cities such as and reach Turkmenbashi.
The "railway-sea-railway" combination used on this route offers a more efficient logistics solution compared to traditional routes. In particular, the use of the Turkmenbashi port for the Caspian Sea crossing optimizes the logistics route and significantly shortens the total transit time.
A New Gateway for Trade and Integration
The new route will speed up the flow of goods between China and five Central Asian countries and Central and Eastern European markets, Wu said, adding that trade between China and countries along the route is expected to proceed more smoothly.
The development comes as part of China’s efforts to strengthen connections with Central Asia and Europe under its “Belt and Road” initiative. The new corridor has the potential to promote not only economic cooperation but also integration between countries in the region.
