At the Tianjin Container Center Station in the early morning, gantry cranes were busy loading and unloading stainless steel pipes and home appliance containers with the words "Made in China" printed on them. As the whistle sounded, a train loaded with goods slowly pulled out of the platform - the final destination of this train was not a domestic city, but crossing the border, crossing the Caspian Sea, and finally arriving in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. For Manager Li, who has been engaged in Central Asian trade for many years, this day has been eagerly awaited: "Previously, goods to Central Asia had to go through long land routes or complex sea land intermodal transportation. Now, with this new route, time is more controllable and costs are better

Trans Caspian Intermodal Transport Connecting Central Asia Hub

On the morning of January 19, 2026, a train loaded with stainless steel pipes, household appliances, and other goods departed from Tianjin Container Center Station under the jurisdiction of China Railway Beijing Bureau. The train will leave the country via Khorgos Port to Aktau Port in Kazakhstan, and then arrive in Baku, Azerbaijan, by sea via the Caspian Sea. This is the first trans Caspian Central Asia train operated by Tianjin to Baku, adding a stable and fast new freight channel for Tianjin to connect with countries such as Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

Baku is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, facing the port city of Aktau in Kazakhstan across the Caspian Sea. It is an important node in the international multimodal transport corridor across the Caspian Sea. With the opening of this train, after the goods are shipped from Tianjin to Baku, they can also be distributed to Türkiye and other countries and regions to further strengthen the economic and trade exchanges between northern China and the Central Asian and European markets.

Multi departmental collaboration to create efficient services

To ensure the smooth operation of the Tianjin Baku trans Caspian Central Asia train, various departments work together to provide comprehensive support. Tianjin Container Center Station has opened up a "green channel" for loading and shipping, preparing sufficient loading and unloading equipment and operators to ensure that trains depart on time and on schedule. At the same time, establish a customer service rapid response mechanism and arrange dedicated personnel to coordinate and solve various needs in the transportation process.

The Tianjin Railway Logistics Center arranges business backbones to monitor and control the entire process of cargo security checks, loading and reinforcement operations on the train, and to build a strong safety barrier for train transportation. Relying on the 95306 railway freight e-commerce platform, we provide customers with one-stop online services including demand reporting, electronic signature, cargo tracking, and electronic payment, greatly improving service efficiency and quality.

Customs innovation model improves logistics efficiency

Tianjin Xingang Customs has provided strong clearance support for the opening of this train. By deepening the collaborative linkage with departments such as Tianjin Container Center Station and Tianjin Port, the customs actively promotes the "railway rapid customs clearance" mode, optimizes the customs clearance process, compresses the customs clearance links, and significantly improves the efficiency of train transportation.

We provide customers with full customs clearance guidance, set up dedicated windows to provide one-stop services, and ensure that the goods of Central Asian trains are reported and released immediately upon arrival, "said the relevant person in charge of Tianjin Xingang Customs. This efficient customs clearance mode enables goods to complete all procedures in the shortest possible time, ensuring timely shipment of trains.

The opening of the Tianjin Baku Trans Caspian Sea Central Asia freight train is not only a new logistics channel, but also an important link for China's economic and trade exchanges with Central Asia and Europe. The opening of the train has played an important role in further stabilizing the international supply chain, industrial chain, and promoting regional economic development.

The relevant person in charge of China Railway Beijing Bureau stated that the next step will continue to work with relevant departments and enterprises in Tianjin to jointly create more new logistics channels connecting countries in Europe and Central Asia, expanding new options for domestic enterprises to "go global" through the China Europe freight train, and further promoting high-level opening up of the Beijing Tianjin Hebei region to the outside world. Key words: latest the Belt and Road information, connectivity, China Europe train

With the opening of more similar trains, the economic and trade cooperation between China and the countries along the the Belt and Road will be closer, injecting sustained impetus into regional economic development. This new logistics artery spanning across the Asian hinterland and the Caspian Sea is becoming an important bridge connecting China and the Eurasian continent.Editor/Yang Meiling