China and Kazakhstan open railway to Europe
March 05, 2025
Nadezhda Sorokina
Kazakhstan and China are opening a new railway route that will allow transporting goods to Europe bypassing Russia, the press service of Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ, "Kazakhstan Temir Zholy") reported.
As part of the project implemented jointly with the Chinese China Railway Container Transport (CRCT), container trains from China will pass through the territory of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Iran and Turkey, and from there to European countries.
The first train on the new route went from Chinese Chengdu to the Polish city of Lodz. "The route will ensure sustainable delivery of goods and effective interaction between countries. The expected duration of the journey is 40 days," the press service of KTZ notes.
At the same time, China is developing two more railway projects through the Central Asian states of the former USSR, bypassing Russia.
The first one - the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TMTM) - was agreed in the summer of 2023 and passes through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
The second project provides for the construction of a railway through Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to the Caspian Sea, from where goods through Turkey will be delivered to the European Union.
The $8 billion project, which is also planned to be connected to the railways of the Persian Gulf countries, was approved in June 2024, and its implementation will be carried out by China Railway International.
Source: https://kompromat1.online/articles/317514-kitaj_i_kazahctan_otkryli_zheleznodorozhnyj_putj_v_evropu