BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 13. The year 2024 saw Azerbaijan Railways CJSC hitting the ground running with a flurry of milestones in its partnership with China’s rail administration and other organizations, leading to a significant uptick in rail freight volumes, the CJSC told Trend.
"One of the most notable achievements of the year was the inaugural export block train from Azerbaijan to China through the Middle Corridor. On November 24, the inaugural export block train transporting 62 40-foot containers containing 1,664 tons of coke sailed from Baku to Xi'an, one of China's main dry ports, via Kazakhstan. This action created new avenues for local entrepreneurs to directly export goods to the Chinese market.
This advancement signifies a new stage in the economic and transportation relations between Azerbaijan and China, bolstering Azerbaijan's key position in global freight transit. The increasing volume of transit and import goods from China to Azerbaijan, as well as exports from Azerbaijan to China, has improved the efficacy of the Middle Corridor. The swift expansion of this route requires a proportional rise in freight volumes in both the East-West and West-East directions," the CJSC statement said.
Another key achievement was the dispatch of the first container block train from Xi'an to Azerbaijan’s Baku in March, which arrived within merely eleven days.
Throughout 2024, a total of 358 block trains were sent along the China-Central Asia-Azerbaijan route, including 146 block trains (15,292 TEU) that facilitated the transportation of transit cargo, while 212 block trains (20,956 TEU) carried imported goods. The transported cargo primarily consisted of medicines, vehicles, auto parts, bicycles, motorcycles, and water pumps, as well as both food and non-food products.
These positive outcomes in freight transportation were driven by ongoing discussions and cooperation between Azerbaijan Railways and Chinese railway authorities. In May 2024, ADY’s leadership met with representatives from China Railways, China’s state-owned railway operator, to discuss various collaborative initiatives, including the further development of the Middle Corridor and the revitalization of freight traffic along the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway line, which has now reached a capacity of 5 million tons per year. The CJSC also reaffirmed its commitment to facilitating the flow of goods returning from Türkiye and Azerbaijan to China via the west-east direction.
Commencing in June 2024, cargo consignments have been operationally deployed in a trial phase from Lianyungang, a preeminent maritime hub in eastern China, alongside the logistical node of Xi'an.
In September 2024, with Chinese involvement, an initiative was proposed to establish the International Association "Eurasian Transport Route" in Baku. This association aims to create another branch of the Middle Corridor on the eastern side of the Caspian Sea. The route will pass through China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey, covering railway, road, and sea routes, as well as components of road infrastructure. The association will serve as a collective body to effectively organize and diversify cargo transportation along the Middle Corridor.
Additionally, the Azerbaijan Railways delegation participated in the "Global Partners Meeting and the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route Forum" organized by China Railway Express (Xi'an) in China during the same month.
During the forum, Azerbaijan Railways representatives joined discussions on collaborative efforts to develop the Middle Corridor, along with representatives from the railways of China, Kazakhstan, and Georgia, as well as other permanent members of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor International Association.
As a result of these meetings, a memorandum of cooperation was signed with China Railway Container Transport Corp. Ltd. (CRCT) to join the Middle Corridor Multimodal LLC joint venture, co-founded by Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Georgia. The partnership's main goal is to advance the Middle Corridor and increase cargo volumes by improving the organization of container trains from China.
Looking ahead to 2025, plans are in place to more than triple the number of block trains sent annually from China to Azerbaijan and Europe, reaching up to 1,000 trains per year. Azerbaijan’s infrastructure capabilities are set to meet these ambitious targets.
So, the growth of cargo transportation along the routes China-Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan-China is speeding up the Middle Corridor's development as an East-West-East route. This makes sure that cargo services between the two countries are safe, quick, and efficient.
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