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.