On September 9, 2025, a ceremony was held at the Absheron Logistics Center to mark the fifth anniversary of the launch of the China (Zhejiang)–Europe Railway Express route running through the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), as well as to welcome the Yiwu (China)–Baku (Azerbaijan) train.
During the event, Ke Qetsyan, Vice 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, emphasized that the passage of the 237th block train — consisting of 100 containers — through the Middle Corridor on the China (Zhejiang)–Europe Railway Express route highlights the growing importance of transport routes linking China with Europe and underlines Azerbaijan’s increasing role as a key transport hub connecting continents.
It was noted that the container cargo (mainly metal products, household goods, electrical equipment, and other goods) transported by the block train along the China (Zhejiang)–Europe Railway Express via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor will be forwarded from Azerbaijan to Turkey 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. Its wide reach, covering multiple directions and destinations, contributes to the stabilization of operations and prevents congestion. Moreover, the precise alignment of block trains with specific types of cargo increases the efficiency of trade flows.
Since 2020, more than 14,000 trains have operated on the China (Zhejiang)–Europe Railway Express route, carrying a total of 19,470 TEU containers. From January to August of this year alone, the transport volume reached 4,182 TEU containers.
It should be emphasized that as part of its transport strategy, Azerbaijan is strengthening its status as a transit country, increasing the role of railways on the nation’s economic and geopolitical map. Projects such as raising the annual transport 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 connecting Europe and Asia.
In recent years, cooperation between China and Azerbaijan in the transport sector, particularly in rail freight, has been steadily developing. In July, under the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) and China Railway Corporation, the parties agreed to increase the capacity of the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway line, appointed an ADY representative at the Port of Xi’an, and launched a container terminal with an annual handling capacity of 20,000 TEU. Last month, the Chinese company “China Railway Container Transport Corp. Ltd.” (CRCT) joined the joint venture “Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd.,” once again confirming the importance of practical bilateral cooperation for the development of the Middle Corridor and East–West–East freight transportation.
The results are also reflected in statistics. In August 2025, Azerbaijan received 40 block trains from China via the Middle Corridor. In total, 265 trains were received this year, of which 104 were transit trains. In the same period last year, this number was 168. At the Port of Baku, nearly 70,000 TEU containers were handled in the first eight months of 2025, representing a 48% increase compared to the same period last year (47,157 TEU). This indicates that container handling at the port will significantly exceed the 2024 results.
