Azernews.Az

The arrival time of China-Europe freight trains traveling from China to Türkiye via the Middle Corridor route has been shortened to 15 days, marking a major improvement in transport logistics across the region, Azernews reports.

The Communications Directorate under the Turkish Presidential Administration, Turkish Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Enver Iskurt, announced a ceremony in Istanbul dedicated to the departure and welcoming of freight trains destined for Europe.

At the event, two trains carrying goods from China were dispatched to the Polish city of Łódź and the Hungarian capital Budapest. One of the trains delivered 508 tons of cargo from Chengdu, China, to the Turkish city of Kars via the Alatav Pass in China’s Xinjiang region.

Highlighting the significance of the development, Iskurt said:

“Due to weather conditions in the Caspian Sea and lengthy customs procedures, cargo transportation via this route previously took more than 20 days. Reducing the delivery time to 15 days is an important step for China, Türkiye and Europe.”

He also emphasized that efforts are ongoing to further shorten the delivery time between Alatav and Kars to just 10 days.

This progress builds on a Memorandum of Understanding signed between Türkiye and China in 2015 to harmonize the Middle Corridor project with China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The MIddle Corridor — which runs from China through Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, the South Caucasus, and Türkiye before reaching Europe — is increasingly viewed as a reliable alternative to northern routes, especially amid geopolitical shifts and efforts to diversify global supply chains.