Europe-bound Chinese rail freight is expected to become a whole lot more expensive as Beijing looks to address multiple looming economic crises [The Loadstar].
Having spent years subsidising its rail freight network, with the intent of entrenching it as a legitimate alternative to the more dominant air and ocean cargo services, China’s government is reputedly lining up a faster-than-expected subsidy reduction.
Main insights for the first half of June 2025
The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) runs through China, Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and further through the Black Sea to Europe. The TITR is a multimodal route that involves two modes of transport: rail and sea.
