photo: https://www.sozcu.com.tr/2020/ekonomi/cine-ugurlandigi-soylenen-ilk-ihracat-treni-maltepeden-geri-donmus-6155347//TCDD Taşimacilik AŞ
Turkey has strengthened its direct links with China by two more lines. Trains are heading for China towards Xi'an. Trains run from Izmit, a town in the Turkish province of Kocaeli near Istanbul. The first shipment consisted of a total of 41 containers carrying 2250 tonnes of melanin-coated chipboard. In about 12 days, they will arrive in Xi'an through the middle silk road corridor and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars freight rail route.
The trains are operated by TCDD Taşımacılık AŞ in cooperation with Pasifik Eurasia Logistics. Since the end of 2020, both companies have introduced five routes to Xi'an. The main export products to China are white devices and chemicals, with the latest addition being melanin-coated chipboard.
Regular service
The first train from Turkey to Xi'an left on December 4, 2020. Almost a month later, on January 7, 2021, he was second in China. Turkish officials said the service would be regular on schedules with a frequency of two trips a month. It appears that the parties concerned have not fully achieved their initial aims.
Nevertheless, it is positive that there are two more trains to Xi'an. With a total of seven trains between Turkey and China, the service is proving viable. Companies such as Hupac and Rail Cargo Group described how strong industrial production in Turkey is a factor in increasing demand for exports to China. It is understandable that Turkey wants this service to work well because it has significant revenue potential in a market as large and diverse as China.
The BTK line is crucial and growing
The Baku - Tbilisi - Kars railway line, which extends as far as the middle corridor of the New Silk Road, is a central part of the route between Turkey and China. Turkey-China trains and other companies' trains use it as an alternative to other more used Eurasian corridors.
As Turkey's role as a hub of the New Silk Road grows, so does the importance of the BTK line. Turkey's concrete estimates predict that transport volumes will continue to grow in the coming years, reaching 1,500 trains and 60,000 TEU between Turkey and China annually.