The first China-bound Turkish cargo train is to embark on the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway on December 8 after departing from Istanbul last Friday, Turkey’s Anadolu Agency reports.
The train, entering Georgia through eastern Kars province, is scheduled to stop at the southern town of Akhalkalaki, then traveling across Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan before delivering cargo to China’s Xi’an province.
The Iron Silk Road connectivity program, spanning 8,693 km and five countries, reduces freight duration between Turkey and China from a month to 12 days by following the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor, via the BTK railway.
The construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway was launched in 2007, originally set to be completed in 2010. Due to delays in construction, it was opened in 2017.
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