Azerbaijan Railways Expands Cooperation with China via Middle Corridor

Last year, Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) deepened its collaboration with China’s railway administration and various Chinese rail organizations to boost the rail sector’s share in East-West and West-East freight transportation.

A significant highlight of the year was the departure of the first export block train from Azerbaijan to China via the Middle Corridor. On November 24, 2024, the train, carrying 1,664 tons of coke in 62 forty-foot containers, departed from Baku to Xi’an via Kazakhstan, utilizing a multimodal transport system. This milestone granted local entrepreneurs direct access to the Chinese market and further solidified Azerbaijan’s strategic role in international freight logistics.

Earlier in the year, another breakthrough occurred in March 2024, when the first container block train from Xi’an to Baku completed its journey in a record 11 days. This achievement underscored the efficiency and potential of the Middle Corridor as a vital link in global trade.

Throughout 2024, the China – Central Asia – Azerbaijan route saw a total of 358 block trains in operation. These included 146 transit trains (15,292 TEU) and 212 trains (20,956 TEU) for import cargo. Goods transported ranged from medical supplies, vehicles, and spare parts to bicycles, motorcycles, water pumps, food, and non-food products, demonstrating the corridor’s versatility.

The year’s successes were bolstered by regular meetings and discussions between ADY and China’s railway organizations. These engagements played a crucial role in advancing freight transportation objectives.

In May, an ADY delegation held negotiations with the management of China Railway Corporation. Key topics included developing the Middle Corridor, restoring freight traffic on the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway line — capable of handling 5 million tons of freight annually — and addressing other critical issues. ADY officials also reiterated their readiness to support return freight flows from Türkiye and Azerbaijan to China along the West-East route, emphasizing the ambition to transform the Middle Corridor into a robust East-West-East transport artery.

Building on this momentum, in June, ADY partnered with Chinese counterparts to initiate test shipments from Lianyungang, one of China’s largest eastern ports. These shipments utilized the modernized BTK railway line and expanded capabilities of the Middle Corridor.

The collaboration advanced further in September, when Azerbaijan, with Chinese participation, spearheaded the establishment of the International Association for Eurasian Transport Route in Baku. This initiative integrates rail, road, and sea transport across China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye, forming an additional branch of the Middle Corridor. The association aims to serve as a collegial body to streamline diversified freight transport along the route.

Also in September, ADY representatives attended the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route Forum, organized by China Railway Express in Xi’an. During the forum, ADY officials, alongside Kazakhstan, Georgia, and members of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route Association, reinforced their shared commitment to enhancing the Middle Corridor.

The forum concluded with the signing of a memorandum of cooperation. China Railway Container Transport Corp. Ltd. (CRCT) officially joined the Middle Corridor Multimodal LLC, a joint venture co-founded by Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Georgia. This partnership is poised to facilitate regular container block train shipments from China along the Middle Corridor, with the ultimate aim of significantly increasing freight volumes.

With this expanding cooperation, plans are in place to triple the number of block trains dispatched from China to Azerbaijan and Europe by 2025, reaching 1,000 trains annually.