As part of a new freight route passing through Azerbaijan and Georgia, the first train loaded with auto parts and mechanical equipment departed from a station in Fangshan District, Beijing. The train carries 104 standard containers with cargo worth over 15 million yuan (approximately USD 2.1 million).
It will pass through the Khorgos border checkpoint in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and head towards Kazakhstan’s Aktau port on the Caspian Sea. From there, the cargo will be shipped by sea to Azerbaijan’s Alat Port and then transported by rail to Baku. From Baku, the containers will be redirected to Georgia, Turkey, Serbia, and other regional markets.
According to China Railway Corporation, this new route will provide Beijing and neighboring regions with a more convenient and efficient logistics channel. The company notes that it will help reduce logistics costs, boost export potential, and strengthen trade and economic ties between China and countries in the region, including Georgia.
Notably, just recently, for the first time, a China-Europe Express train arrived in Georgia as its final destination from Wuhan. The shipment to Tbilisi and the Port of Poti included light mechanical equipment, agricultural machinery, and construction materials worth 14.8 million yuan (about USD 2.06 million). The journey took around 18 days. This new route connects Hubei Province to the Middle Corridor, with cargo transported using a multimodal “rail-sea-rail” scheme.
