China has introduced a new freight route linking Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province in eastern China, with Baku, Azerbaijan, through the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR).

The first train on this route departed on Monday from Nanchang International Land Port, carrying marble products, cotton fabric, wallpaper, and other goods to the Baku International Sea Port. It will cross the border at the Khorgos checkpoint and travel through Kazakhstan before crossing the Caspian Sea, The Caspian Post reports, citing Xinhua.

The Nanchang Railway Logistics Service Center noted that the new freight transportation route using the TITR will reduce transit time from the previous 50 days to 18 days, eliminating the need to detour through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. It will also minimize the risk of cargo damage and the costs of multiple transhipments associated with long-distance sea shipping, reducing exporters' logistics costs by an average of 15-20%.

According to the planned schedule, after goods are delivered along the new route to Baku, which functions as a key hub for international multimodal freight transportation via the TITR, they can then be transported to Türkiye and several other countries and regions worldwide.