The average transit time along the Middle Corridor railway route between China and Azerbaijan decreased in early 2026, according to a post on social media by Wang Xudong, Managing Director of Beijing Cross-Eurasia International Logistics.
He noted that operational data show the average delivery time on the Xi’an–Baku route in January 2026 was 16 days, one day faster than in December 2025 (17 days). At the same time, eight freight trains were dispatched on this route in January, compared with eleven in December.
The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor, began intensifying regular container train services from Xi’an (China) to Baku (Azerbaijan) in 2019. In 2025 alone, more than 400 trips were completed along this route. The corridor was further expanded with the launch of a new service from Beijing on June 30, 2025.
A key milestone was the modernization of the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway in 2024, which increased its annual capacity from 1 million to 5 million tons. In August 2024, China Railway Container Transport Corporation (CRCT) joined the joint venture Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd. In early 2026, the first train of the year arrived in Baku, demonstrating a further reduction in transit time to 11 days.
The Middle Corridor (also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, TITR) is a transport and trade corridor connecting Asia with Europe as an alternative to the traditional Northern and Southern routes. It starts in China, runs through Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan), crosses the Caspian Sea via Azerbaijan, continues through Georgia and Türkiye, and ultimately reaches Europe. This overland route bypasses longer maritime routes and provides a direct link between East Asia, including China, and Europe.
