On the morning of June 28, 2026, this 55 car train will leave the country via Khorgos Port, cross Kazakhstan, and travel about 5420 kilometers. It is expected to arrive at Agara Station in Balkan State of Turkmenistan 14 to 15 days later - this is the first international freight train directly to Turkmenistan in the history of Qinghai Province, and a new logistics channel from the Qinghai Tibet Plateau to Central Asia will be opened.

The first train departs on a new line

The Xining to Barkan Central Asia freight train this time adopts the full railway container direct transportation mode, eliminating the need for intermediate container swapping, which not only shortens transportation time but also reduces the comprehensive logistics cost of the enterprise. Wherever the train goes, it connects Qinghai with the hinterland of Central Asia, accumulating practical experience for subsequent normalized operation. In the future, Qinghai will consolidate the monthly negotiation mechanism for international freight trains and promote the development of Central Asian freight trains towards scale and standardization.

Green brand products go global through channels

Qinghai is an important passage connecting the Eurasian Continental Bridge. Since the opening of the first China Europe freight train in 2016, the province's international freight train routes have covered 16 cities in 10 countries, and have reached Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan among the five Central Asian countries. Relying on the increasingly perfect train network, plateau specialty products such as soda ash, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), asbestos, goji berries, and Tibetan carpets can be stably exported. Some enterprises also import agricultural and livestock products such as Central Asian oats simultaneously, forming a virtuous cycle of two-way trade.

Shuangzhai Hub is poised for takeoff

With Shuangzhai Logistics Base as the core, Qinghai is accelerating the construction of a multi-directional, smooth and efficient international logistics channel system. During the 14th Five Year Plan period, Qinghai Province has operated a total of 597 international freight trains; In the first quarter of 2026, 38 trains have been operated, driving the export of salt lake chemical products such as polyvinyl chloride and soda ash to 330 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 20.7%. With the opening of this new route, the function of Shuangzhai Base as a cross-border logistics hub in the Qinghai Tibet region will be further enhanced, allowing more "Qingdao brand" brands to go global along the Steel Silk Road.Editor/Yang Meiling