On August 4, a CRE train successfully arrived in Istanbul, Turkey via the "Middle Corridor." At a departure ceremony held the same day in Istanbul, two freight trains that had arrived from China set off for Lodz, Poland and Budapest, Hungary, respectively. One of the trains departed from Chengdu, carrying 508 tons of cargo. It traveled through Alataw Pass in China's Xinjiang region and arrived in Kars, an eastern border city of Turkey, via the Middle Corridor, completing the journey in just 15 days.
Kars, once a prominent city along the ancient Silk Road, was known for its rich historical and cultural heritage. Eyup Sengul, Mayor of Kars, has expressed strong interest in China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Mayor Sengul emphasized that as a key node along the Middle Corridor, Kars is poised to make significant contributions to China-Turkey cooperation, particularly in the field of railway transportation. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway, which connects Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey and forms a core segment of the Middle Corridor, officially opened in 2017 and completed its upgrade and expansion in 2024, substantially enhancing the corridor's freight capacity and competitiveness.
Sengul noted that as the first point of connection between the southern route of the CRE train and Turkey's national railway network, "Kars is embracing a new opportunity for development." With freight volumes expected to grow in the future, the launch of this container train service "is set to transform Kars into a vital logistics and transit hub."
Looking ahead, Kars plans to establish a rail-based industrial ecosystem, further strengthen urban infrastructure, and support local enterprises in expanding into global markets. To attract Chinese investors, the city will simplify foreign investment procedures and offer a fairer, more transparent business environment.
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