5 Years of the China–Europe Railway Express Route: Baku Welcomed the 237th Train from Yiwu

On September 9, 2025, an event was held at the Absheron Logistics Center to mark the 5th anniversary of the China (Zhejiang)–Europe Railway Express route passing through the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), as well as to welcome the Yiwu (China)–Baku (Azerbaijan) train.

At the event, Ke Qetsyan, Deputy Governor of Zhejiang Province, Fariz Aliyev, Head of the Transport Policy Department at the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport, and Guo Min, Ambassador of China to Azerbaijan, stated that the passage of the 237th block train—consisting of 100 containers—via the Middle Corridor on the China (Zhejiang)–Europe Railway Express route highlights the growing importance of transport routes connecting China to Europe and underscores Azerbaijan’s increasing role as a key transport hub linking continents.

It was noted that the container cargo (mainly metal products, household goods, electrical equipment, and other items) transported by the block train along the China (Zhejiang)–Europe Railway Express route via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor will be forwarded through Azerbaijan to Türkiye and European markets.

The China (Zhejiang)–Europe Railway Express route passes through more than 50 countries, over 160 cities and regions, the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, as well as 26 international transport corridors. The extensive coverage of multiple directions and points along this route contributes to stabilizing operations and preventing congestion. Additionally, the precise matching of block trains to specific cargo types enhances the efficiency of trade flows.

Since 2020, more than 14,000 trains have operated on the China (Zhejiang)–Europe Railway Express route, transporting a total of 19,470 TEU containers. Between January and August this year alone, cargo volumes reached 4,182 TEU containers.

It should be noted that within the framework of the country’s transport strategy, Azerbaijan is strengthening its status as a transit country, further increasing the role of railways in the nation’s economic and geopolitical map. Projects such as improving the annual freight capacity of the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars (BTK) line to 5 million tons and integrating the Port of Baku with the railway network complement each other, transforming Azerbaijan into a key transport hub that links Europe and Asia.

In recent years, cooperation between China and Azerbaijan in the transportation sector, particularly in railway freight, has continued to expand. In July, under the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) and China Railway Corporation, the parties agreed to enhance the potential of the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway line, appointed an ADY representative at Xi’an Port, and inaugurated a container terminal with an annual handling capacity of 20,000 TEU. Last month, China’s “China Railway Container Transport Corp. Ltd.” (CRCT) joined the joint venture “Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd.,” once again demonstrating the significance of practical bilateral cooperation for the development of the Middle Corridor and East–West–East freight transport.

The results are also reflected in statistical data. In August 2025, Azerbaijan received 40 block trains from China via the Middle Corridor. A total of 265 trains were received this year, of which 104 were transit trains. In the same period last year, the figure stood at 168. At the Port of Baku, nearly 70,000 TEU containers were handled in the first eight months of 2025, which is 48% more compared to the same period last year (47,157 TEU). This indicates that container throughput at the port will significantly surpass the 2024 figure.