According to Azertag, the first direct China-Europe freight service from Wuhan to Baku is carrying electronic equipment, household appliances and everyday consumer goods to European markets.
Passing through the Khorgos border crossing in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, the train will continue across the Caspian Sea to reach Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku.
Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) will reportedly transfer the goods from Baku Port to container block trains bound for Europe.
This multimodal journey, which combines rail and maritime transport, is expected to take 18 days, compared to the usual timeframe of up to 22 days.
This new route is expected to provide export-oriented enterprises in Hubei with efficient, stable logistics, facilitating their expansion into emerging Eurasian markets.
Wuhan has emerged as a key hub for China-Europe freight train services, linking central China with over 100 cities in more than 40 Eurasian countries through an expanding network of over 50 routes. Primarily departing from Wujiashan and Xianglushan railway stations, these trains transport a variety of goods, including electronics, automotive parts, and household appliances.
The network is set to grow further in 2025 and 2026, with new routes being launched that will strengthen Wuhan’s role in Eurasian logistics. The latest additions include direct services to Northern Europe, such as Copenhagen in Denmark, as well as a new connection to Baku in Azerbaijan via the Middle Corridor.
Key destinations served by Wuhan’s freight trains include major logistics and industrial centres such as Hamburg in Germany, as well as cities in Russia, Poland, and the Nordic region, including Sweden and Norway.
Wuhan’s rail freight services also benefit from logistical advantages, including integrated customs clearance at Xianglushan Station.
Compared to traditional international logistics routes, the Middle Corridor offers lower geopolitical risk, a more resilient supply chain, and more straightforward transport connections.
The Middle Corridor comprises approximately 4,250 kilometres of railway and 500 kilometres of sea routes. Its primary objective is to provide Chinese and Central Asian goods with access to European markets via the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and the Black Sea.
In addition to being efficient, the corridor benefits from favourable climatic conditions, which reduce travel time by 15 days compared to traditional sea routes. It also facilitates significant cargo movement across Asia, enabling goods to reach the Middle East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean region via integrated port connections in Turkey.
Since 2022, cargo traffic along the Middle Corridor through Azerbaijan has increased by almost 90 per cent. In 2025, ADY handled over 380 block trains from China, marking a 35 percent increase compared to 2024. During this period, 137,000 TEUs of cargo were transported, representing an average increase of 20 per cent compared to 2024.
