Significant Growth in Trans-Caspian Int’l Transport: 369 Trains Operate in 2024

In 2024, a total of 369 trains journeyed along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, representing a remarkable 36-fold increase from the previous year, the newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Lu Mei, said on Monday, The Caspian Post reports, citing AZERTAC.

“President Xi Jinping announced in October 2023 that China will take eight major steps to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, including building a multidimensional Belt and Road connectivity network. China will accelerate the high-quality development of the China-Europe Railway Express and participate in the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route,” the diplomat said at a briefing in Baku.

She emphasized that this aligns with Azerbaijan's strategy to leverage the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route to maximize its transport potential, which the country has positively embraced. “A total of 369 trains traveled along the route in 2024, marking a 36-fold increase compared to the previous year,” the ambassador noted.

She also highlighted that during President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to China, both sides reached several agreements on joint development within the Belt and Road Initiative and on supporting the construction of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.