A China-Europe freight train waits for departure at Beijing International Land Port in Fangshan District of Beijing, capital of China, June 30, 2025. A new China-Europe freight train route linking Beijing to Baku of Azerbaijan was launched Monday. Riding on the "rail-sea-rail" multimodal transport, the payload is scheduled to get across the Caspian Sea by ship, and arrive in Baku in 15 days. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)
BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua) -- A China-Europe freight train departed from Beijing on Monday, marking the launch of the capital's first cross-Caspian Sea multimodal freight service.
The train, loaded with 104 TEUs carrying over 2,300 tonnes of export goods such as auto parts, machinery and books, is bound for Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The route employs rail-sea-rail multimodal transport, covering more than 8,000 kilometers and cutting transit times from about 50 days to approximately 15.
Departing from Fangshan District, Beijing's southwestern gateway, the train exits 西瓜视频via Horgos Port in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, travels through Kazakhstan, crosses the Caspian Sea by ferry, and continues by rail to Baku. Some of the cargo will then be distributed to Georgia, Türkiye, Serbia and beyond.
According to Lu Peng, director of the Fangshan District bureau of commerce, the launch of the route marks a significant step in expanding the diversified corridors of China-Europe freight services originating from Beijing. It will help shape a comprehensive international logistics network combining direct overland routes and rail-sea intermodal transport. ■
A China-Europe freight train departs from Beijing International Land Port in Fangshan District of Beijing, capital of China, June 30, 2025.
A new China-Europe freight train route linking Beijing to Baku of Azerbaijan was launched Monday. Riding on the "rail-sea-rail" multimodal transport, the payload is scheduled to get across the Caspian Sea by ship, and arrive in Baku in 15 days. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)
A crane loads a container onto a China-Europe freight train at Beijing International Land Port in Fangshan District of Beijing, capital of China, June 30, 2025.
A new China-Europe freight train route linking Beijing to Baku of Azerbaijan was launched Monday. Riding on the "rail-sea-rail" multimodal transport, the payload is scheduled to get across the Caspian Sea by ship, and arrive in Baku in 15 days. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)
An aerial drone photo shows a China-Europe freight train waiting for departure at Beijing International Land Port in Fangshan District of Beijing, capital of China, June 30, 2025.
A new China-Europe freight train route linking Beijing to Baku of Azerbaijan was launched Monday. Riding on the "rail-sea-rail" multimodal transport, the payload is scheduled to get across the Caspian Sea by ship, and arrive in Baku in 15 days. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)
An aerial drone photo shows a China-Europe freight train departing from Beijing International Land Port in Fangshan District of Beijing, capital of China, June 30, 2025.
A new China-Europe freight train route linking Beijing to Baku of Azerbaijan was launched Monday. Riding on the "rail-sea-rail" multimodal transport, the payload is scheduled to get across the Caspian Sea by ship, and arrive in Baku in 15 days. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)