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Two freight trains that departed from China last month under a new regular service connecting the cities of Chongqing and Chengdu with Europe via the Middle Corridor were welcomed in Istanbul on Monday in a ceremony attended by top officials and representatives of the Turkish company behind the deal.
An agreement signed earlier this year between Turkish logistics company Pasifik Eurasia and China State Railway to develop the “Middle Corridor” route has come into effect with the arrival of the first trains departing from the Chinese cities of Chongqing and Chengdu, bound for Istanbul. These trains were welcomed in Istanbul and then sent off on their routes to Europe.
The welcoming and send-off ceremony took place at Marmaray Halkalı Station, attended by Deputy Ministers of Transport and Infrastructure Enver Iskurt and Osman Boyraz, Turkish State Railways (TCDD) Director General Veysi Kurt, Pasifik Eurasia Vice Chairperson of the Board Erol Erkan, and other officials.
Under the deal, 10 train services will be initially operated, with the goal of reaching 1,000 services per year, Pasifik Eurasia stated in a June 1 announcement shared on the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP).
The partnership with the state-owned company overseeing railway logistics across China is expected to accelerate freight volumes along what is known as the Middle Corridor.
Speaking at the ceremony, Iskurt stated that the two freight trains arriving in Istanbul represent a historic milestone on the China-Türkiye-Europe Railway Line and that the commencement of regular freight transportation via the Middle Corridor further strengthens Türkiye’s role in global logistics.
Iskurt noted that, as one of the concrete results of the Global Transport Corridors Forum held in Türkiye, the first regularly operated freight train between China and Europe will reach Poland via Türkiye.
“Türkiye reinforces its role in the global logistics system through the Middle Corridor, which stands out as an international railway corridor,” he added.
“While the global trade volume was at $3 trillion in 1990, today it has reached $33 trillion. This growth has brought not only the need for more transportation but also the necessity to develop faster, more efficient, environmentally friendly, and integrated logistics systems,” he further said.
“At this point, railway transportation stands out with its advantages of low carbon emissions, high capacity and safe transport,” he added.
