On Monday, 10 February 2025, a freight train departed from the Chinese city of Chongqing to Hairaton in Afghanistan, marking the launch of the first direct railway route connecting metropolis in southwestern China with Afghanistan, Xinhua reports.
The train carrying 55 containers with communication equipment manufactured by the Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE will cross the Chinese-Kazakh border through the Khorgos checkpoint in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and reach its destination in Hairaton through the territories of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
The entire journey is expected to take 12-15 days. This is 3-5 days faster than by road, and logistics costs are expected to decrease by 15-20%.
It is reported that the transported cargo will be used in the construction of local communication networks in Afghanistan.
To date, over 18,000 freight trains have been dispatched from Chongqing and back, plying the China-Europe/China-Central Asia international freight routes. ///nCa, 10 February 2025