In the first eight months, 9,626 Central Asia trains were operated, setting a new record for the same period. A total of 751,000 TEUs of cargo were transported, up 22.7 percent and 31.1 percent year-on-year, respectively. By August 31, more than 69,000 Central Asia trains had been operated cumulatively, carrying over 5.19 million TEUs of cargo. The opening of channels such as the China-Laos Railway and the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor has continuously expanded the coverage of Central Asia trains, reaching more than 100 cities in 11 Asian countries and covering 128 prefecture-level cities in 28 domestic provincial-level regions.
With the continuous improvement of transport capacity and service quality, the cargo transported by Central Asia trains has expanded from the initial transit of second-hand vehicles to 22 major categories, including new energy vehicles, photovoltaic products and machinery and equipment. Cotton yarn, antimony concentrate, wheat bran pellets and barley from Central Asia, as well as tropical fruits, fertilizers and iron ore from Southeast Asia, have entered the Chinese market. Meanwhile, "Made in China" products such as new energy vehicles, photovoltaic modules, electronic products and daily necessities are accelerating their journey to a wide range of Asian countries and regions.
Transport efficiency has also improved continuously. The transport time of Central Asia trains from Lianyungang, China, to Almaty, Kazakhstan, has been reduced from more than 10 days in 2014 to the current 6 days. With the launch of the "cross-border e-commerce train" in 2024, it takes only 10 days from Yiwu small commodities market in Zhejiang, China, to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, at 80 percent lower cost than air transport.
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