Celebrating the Successful Operation of the First Turkey (Istanbul)–China (Xi'an) CRE (Chang'an) Train!

On December 23, the grand operation ceremony of the first Turkey (Istanbul)–China (Xi'an) China Railway Express (CRE) Chang'an international freight train was held in Xi'an Port!

The freight train was sent from Istanbul, Turkey, on December 4. Carrying 42 containers, it drove through Istanbul's Marmaray Tunnel, the Bosphorus Strait and the southern transport corridor Baku–Tbilisi–Kars (BTK) railway, drove along the Middle Corridor across the Caspian Sea, passed through Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan and finally drove into China through the Horgos Port. Traveling a total of 8,693 kilometers, it arrived in Xi'an, China, at 9:34 a.m. Beijing time on December 19. With the support of China's Customs and railway departments, all customs clearance work has been completed.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to impeded global logistics. Moreover, due to the sharp increase in cargo volume caused by travel restrictions launched by various countries, the traditional main transportation lines of CRE have also suffered serious congestion and delays. Against this background, Xi'an International Inland Port Multimodal Transportation Co., Ltd. chose to open up a new important route passing through the BTK Railway and the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (ITR). The route has effectively promoted the cross-border flow of goods and services and the resumption of work and production by enterprises, better played the role as a new artery in international transportation and become a "passage of life", a "link of fate" and an "iron and steel camel team" to stabilize the international supply chain for anti-pandemic cooperation among the countries along the route. The operation of the freight train carrying Turkey's export commodities to China will surely further promote the economic recovery of the Central Asian and Central and Eastern European countries along the route, strengthen the ties of transportation, trade and culture and better serve the people of the countries along the route.

CRE (Chang'an) vividly illustrates China's opening-up efforts and the opportunities brought about by China. It has set up a major channel for economic and trade exchanges between countries along the Belt and Road. It is an important link for practicing the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech during his visit to Shaanxi and implementing the overall pattern of being deeply integrated into the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative.

In the future, Xi'an International Inland Port Multimodal Transportation Co., Ltd. will further strengthen the high-quality development of CRE (Chang'an) and ensure the safety and stability of the international industrial chain and supply chain under the "dual circulation" development pattern in which domestic economic cycle plays a leading role while international economic cycle remains its extension and supplement. It will make strategic planning on building an innovation chain around the industrial chain and an industrial chain around the innovation chain, serve the construction of the CRE (Xi'an) Collaboration Centerandenhance the attractiveness of CRE (Chang'an) to introduce products and services and its competitiveness to go global, so as to contribute ITL Group's efforts to building CRE (Chang'an) into an international trade channel featuring high efficiency, low costs and excellent service!