XI'AN, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The trans-Caspian route of the China Railway Express (Xi'an) saw robust growth in the first quarter of 2026, offering a faster and more resilient link between China and Europe, according to local authorities.
The route runs from Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, to Baku, capital of Azerbaijan, passing through Kazakhstan and the Caspian Sea. The rail-sea corridor represents the shortest link for onward connections to Europe, diversifying transcontinental freight options within the logistics network.
From January to March, the route handled 85 rail-sea train trips, a 150 percent increase year on year, said Wu Le, deputy general manager of Xi'an Free Trade Port Construction and Operation Co., Ltd.
The route is part of the China-Europe Railway Express network, a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative. By October 2025, the railway network had made nearly 120,000 trips and handled nearly 12 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo, serving 232 cities in 26 European countries and over 100 cities in 11 Asian nations.
Almaty, Kazakhstan, serves as a key hub on the Caspian route. In recent years, Chinese and Kazakh railway companies have worked closely to match capacity with demand through data sharing and document pre-screening, sharply cutting transit times.
"Shipping time from Xi'an to Baku has dropped from about 20 days last year to around 15 days now, with the fastest taking just 11 days, a roughly 25 percent improvement. This has provided strong support for the high-quality development of the trans-Caspian route," Wu added.
The management committee of Xi'an Chanba International Port said it will deepen cooperation with railway and shipping operators in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and other countries to further enhance the route's capacity and competitiveness.
Faster logistics are already delivering tangible benefits for businesses. Ma Dong, general manager of Xi'an PFIT International Logistics Co., Ltd., said the significantly shorter shipping time has made exports more competitive, allowing goods to reach overseas markets faster, improving capital turnover and boosting corporate confidence. ■
