A new freight corridor linking China with Tajikistan via Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan has entered pilot operation, marking another step in Central Asia’s expanding transport connectivity.
The inaugural train was dispatched by the Uzbekistan–China joint venture UTK International Logistics Co. Ltd, according to its co-founder, Uztemiryulcontainer. It departed from Lanzhou in China and is travelling more than 3,500 kilometres to Dushanbe-2 station in Tajikistan. The journey is expected to take between 18 and 20 days.
The train consists of eight 40-foot containers carrying consumer goods and construction equipment. The route passes through Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan under preferential tariff arrangements supported by Uzbekistan Railways.
The corridor is currently operating in pilot mode under regional cooperation agreements between Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan aimed at strengthening trade and transit links.
The initiative builds on earlier rail cooperation between China and Central Asia. In June 2023, the first block train was launched along the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan multimodal corridor between Lanzhou and Tashkent, laying the groundwork for expanded regional cargo operations.
In July 2025, UTK International Logistics was formally established as a joint Uzbek–Chinese transport enterprise. The company focuses on cargo consolidation and the development of freight routes between China and Central Asia. A logistics assembly point was also opened in the Lanzhou Free Economic Zone to facilitate transit operations.
The pilot corridor also aligns with the broader China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway project, a large-scale infrastructure initiative designed to shorten transit routes between China and Europe via Central Asia.
In December 2025, a financing agreement worth approximately $4.7 billion was signed to advance construction of the railway. China is expected to provide more than half of the funding through long-term loans, with the remaining share divided between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
The railway project aims to reduce transit times, diversify trade routes and strengthen Central Asia’s role as a strategic land bridge between East Asia and Europe.
The launch of the first train along the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan–Tajikistan route highlights growing regional coordination in logistics and infrastructure. It also reflects ongoing efforts by Central Asian states to expand export capacity, increase transit revenues and integrate more deeply into Eurasian trade networks.
If the pilot proves successful, regular container services are expected to follow, further boosting cross-border trade and economic cooperation across the region.
At least 22 people have been killed and 35 others injured after a truck carrying Afghan returnees overturned in eastern Afghanistan, local officials s...
Three Latvian climbers have died after falling on Mount McKinley in Alaska’s Denali National Park and Preserve, authorities and a Latvian climbing o...
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 30 May, covering the latest developments you need to know....
Voting has begun in Malta’s parliamentary election, with opinion polls suggesting the ruling Labour Party is on course to win a fourth consecutive t...
The United Nations (UN) added Israel and Russia to a blacklist of parties suspected of committing conflict-related sexual violence on Friday (29 May)....
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 30 May, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The United Nations (UN) added Israel and Russia to a blacklist of parties suspected of committing conflict-related sexual violence on Friday (29 May). The move prompted Israel to announce it would sever ties with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
A centuries-old floral tradition is being prepared in the English village of Castleton, where the Garland King will lead a ceremonial procession through the Peak District wearing a large flower-covered structure weighing up to 40 kilograms.
A Canadian man accused of selling sodium nitrite and suicide-related items online to people in multiple countries pleaded guilty on 29 May to aiding the suicides of 14 people in Ontario, after prosecutors said recent legal rulings made murder charges impossible to pursue.
A group of Azerbaijani civil society organisations has called for increased scrutiny of Swiss building materials giant Holcim, citing court rulings and ongoing investigations linked to its subsidiary Lafarge's activities during the Syrian conflict.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says ongoing conflict, funding pressures and international travel restrictions are complicating efforts to contain a fast-growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Russia and Kazakhstan signed 15 agreements during President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to Astana on Thursday (28 May), including deals on Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant and expanded oil cooperation with Russia.
France will become the first country in the European Union to reimburse anti-obesity drugs through its public healthcare system, Health Minister Stéphanie Rist announced on Thursday (28 May).
At least 22 people have been killed and 35 others injured after a truck carrying Afghan returnees overturned in eastern Afghanistan, local officials say.
A renewed wave of U.S. diplomatic activity in the South Caucasus highlights Washington’s growing focus on regional connectivity, trade and security, according to Associate Professor George Mchedlishvili of European University in Tbilisi.
Kyrgyzstan has signed a series of cooperation agreements with China and Belarus at the Fifth Forum of Regional Leaders of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states, underlining the country's growing economic engagement within the regional bloc.
A group of Azerbaijani civil society organisations has called for increased scrutiny of Swiss building materials giant Holcim, citing court rulings and ongoing investigations linked to its subsidiary Lafarge's activities during the Syrian conflict.
Kazakhstan has reiterated that no existing route can replace the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which carries more than 80% of the country's crude oil exports through Russia to the Black Sea.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment