China expands rail trade network with new Nanchang–Baku corridor

China has inaugurated a new rail freight corridor connecting Nanchang, the capital of eastern China’s Jiangxi province, with Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, through the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), Caliber.Az reports via Xinhua.

The first freight train departed on February 2 from Nanchang’s international land port, transporting marble products, cotton textiles, wallpaper and other goods bound for the port of Baku. The train will cross the Chinese border via the Khorgos checkpoint, travel across Kazakhstan, and then be shipped across the Caspian Sea.

Officials said the new logistics route will significantly reduce delivery times, cutting transit from around 50 days to just 18 days. This is achieved by bypassing the traditional maritime route through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea.

The TITR-based route is also expected to reduce cargo damage and eliminate the high costs associated with repeated transshipments over long sea journeys. As a result, exporters’ logistics expenses are projected to fall by an average of 15 to 20 per cent, according to the Nanchang Railway Logistics Service Centre.

Once cargo arrives in Baku — which functions as a major hub for international multimodal transport along the TITR — it can be forwarded onward to Türkiye and various other countries and regions around the world.

Railway authorities noted that Jiangxi province currently operates 13 international rail freight routes as part of the China-Europe and China–Central Asia freight train networks. These routes now reach more than 200 countries and regions globally and support over 500 foreign trade enterprises.

By Tamilla Hasanova