A New Multimodal Freight Route from China to Turkmenistan Has Been Launched in Kashgar
China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan have launched a new multimodal freight route. The opening ceremony took place on October 15 in Kashgar (Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China), from where seven trucks departed for the Chinese-Kyrgyz border.
The cargo is expected to arrive in Uzbekistan on October 21 and in Turkmenistan on October 24. Some goods from Turkmenistan will be shipped across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan.
This is a pilot project on the southern route of the China-Europe Trans-Caspian Corridor, which includes two international multimodal transport routes originating in Xi'an (Shaanxi Province) and Chengdu (Sichuan Province).
The cargo will be delivered to Kyrgyzstan by road for transfer to rail and will reach the port of Turkmenbashi via combined road and rail transport, then cross the Caspian Sea to Baku, Azerbaijan.
Another route will provide the first direct shipments between Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan using Chinese vehicles, with the destination being Ashgabat. The first shipment will include various electronic goods, mechanical equipment, and other items, according to Xinjiang Daily, the official newspaper of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
The new route aims to diversify shipments between Central Asia and China, as well as China and Europe, and to develop transit capacity along the Middle Corridor.
ORIENT
