China Express Train from Xi'an to Prague via Turkey & Azerbaijan/freight train from China to Turkey, Azerbaijan

The new service is the implementation of the agreements reached between JSC NC “Kazakhstan Temir Zholy” and the People’s Government of Shanxi Province in the framework of the “One Belt - One Road” initiative.

The train connects China to Central Asia, Russia and Europe without any interruptions. It’s 11,500-kilometer journey, starts from the Chinese city Xi’an, then passes through Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia before entering Eastern Turkey at Kars. It then heads to Ankara, Istanbul, and into Europe passing through Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, and Slovakia before finally reaching Prague, Czech Republic. The railway transport service is dispatched from the port of Aktau, Kazakhsta on a feeder vessel through the Caspian Sea to Baku, Azerbaijan along the TITR(Trans-Caspian International Transport Route). China Railway Express from Xi’an to Prague to take 18 days, reducing transportation time between China and Turkey from one month to 12 days only.

Fastest way of container shipping from China to Azerbaijan, Turkey, Czech Republic
Regular cargo train service started on Jan 10, 2020 (Friday), and departs from Xi’an station on every Friday. 
Xi’an – Baku, Azerbaijan: 10 days
Xi’an – Köseköy, Izmit: 12 days
Xi’an – Halkalı, Istanbul: 12 days
Xi’an – Prague, Czech Republic: 18 days
China Express Train/railway transport/cargo train/rail freight/freight train from Xi’an to Prague.
Fastest way of shipping from China to Baku Azerbaijan, Izmit/Istanbul Turkey, Europe(Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Serbia, Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Germany, Poland, Netherlands)

The launch of the Xian-Ankara-Prague train proves the demand for the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route in the logistics market, as well as the prospect of developing this corridor in European directions. 

Thus, Kazakhstan and Turkey together with Azerbaijan and Georgia created a multimodal Trans-Caspian bridge, providing the shortest exit of cargo flows from China, Central Asia, the Siberian region of Russia to Turkey and the Mediterranean. These countries, located between the main world markets, have historically been the hub connecting Asia and Europe, and act as a global bridge.