The first train carrying goods from Turkey to China arrives in Georgia. The train will pass through five countries on its way to China, where it is scheduled to arrive within 12 days, leaving Turkey by December 8 following the Ankara-Sivas-Kars route.

The train stopped at the Akhalkalaki Station in Georgia and then will travel across Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan before entering China’s Xi’an province.

The 8,693-kilometer journey includes 2,323km in Turkey, 220 km in Georgia, 430km in Azerbaijan, 420km in the Caspian Sea, 3,200km in Kazakhstan and 2,100km in China.

Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) is a new railway route that connects Europe and Asia via Georgia. The construction began in 2008 and was completed in 2017. The railway has been operating in test mode since 2017. The route for freight transit has been active since 2018.