China aims to send 1,000 container block trains annually via Middle Corridor

China is planning to send 1,000 container block trains annually via the Middle Corridor, Rovshan Rustamov, Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC (ADY) said in a press statement on the sidelines of the consultative meeting of railway administration heads on the establishment of the Eurasian Transport Route International Association in Baku, Report informs.

Rustamov highlighted that in the first eight months of this year, China has already dispatched 212 block trains through the Middle Corridor, transporting 420,000 tons of cargo. "However, the potential of this route is much greater," he added.

In March, the first container train from China's Xi'an port reached Baku in just eleven days. On average, block trains from China reach Azerbaijan in 8-10 days and Georgian ports in 12 days. By the end of this year, approximately 300 container block trains are expected to be sent from China via the Middle Corridor, equivalent to around 30,000 TEU.

Rustamov noted the changing dynamics of global logistics markets, with an observed increase in cargo flows from China to Europe and vice versa, which is projected to grow further in the coming years. This growth necessitates new infrastructures and diversification of transportation routes.

"Another branch of the Middle Corridor is forming on the eastern side of the Caspian. The route encompasses rail, road, and sea routes, as well as road infrastructure components, passing through the territories of China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye," Rustamov explained. He emphasized the need to establish a collegial body – the Eurasian Transport Route International Association – to enhance the attractiveness and competitiveness of this multimodal route and ensure effective coordination, and overall development of the route.