New route: train links China and Turkmenistan in 15 days
On Sunday, a new freight train route linking China and Central Asia with Turkmenistan opened in China. The first train departed from Xining in Qinghai Province, northwest China. When steel wheels carve a path through steppes and mountains, not only distances are erased — borders between economies are erased too. The new route from Xining to Turkmenistan is not just a logistics project. It is a thread connecting the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with the Caspian Sea, opening doors for goods, ideas and investment. 5,420 kilometres in 15 days is not just speed. It is a new reality for trade between China and Central Asia.
The freight train, loaded with 55 container wagons, will pass through Qinghai, Gansu and Xinjiang provinces, then leave China via the Khorgos port. It will travel through cities in Kazakhstan, including Almaty, and arrive at the Agara station in the Balkan region of Turkmenistan. The total route length is 5,420 kilometres, with a travel time of 14 to 15 days.
The launch of this route marks a further expansion of the cross border logistics corridor from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to Central Asia, improving the structure of Qinghai's international logistics network serving Central and West Asia.
The Xining–Turkmenistan route passes through key logistics hubs: Khorgos (China) — the largest land port on the border with Kazakhstan; Almaty — Kazakhstan's economic centre; and Agara — a station in Turkmenistan's Balkan region, near the Caspian Sea. 5,420 kilometres is nearly twice the distance from Moscow to Vladivostok. The 14 15 day travel time makes this route competitive compared to sea freight, which takes several times longer. The opening of the route strengthens Qinghai's position as a logistics hub connecting western China with Central Asia and the Caspian region.
As reported by CCTV+, the launch of the new route marks an important step in the development of the transport corridor between China and Central Asian countries, opening new opportunities for trade and economic cooperation.
