China has launched a new railway freight route to Afghanistan, with a train carrying ZTE telecommunications equipment set to transit through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in 12–15 days, according to the Xinhua news agency.

The freight train departed from Tuanjiecun station in the city of Chongqing to Hairatan on the morning of February 10. It consists of 55 containers carrying telecommunications equipment from ZTE, which will be used to develop Afghanistan’s communication networks.

The train’s route passes through the Khorgos border crossing and then continues through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The cargo is expected to reach its destination within 12–15 days after departure, between February 21 and 24.

Direct railway shipments reduce travel time by 3–5 days compared to road transport, noted ZTE representative Liu Jianfeng. At the same time, logistics costs decrease by 15–20%, while safety and efficiency improve.

In the fall of 2022, China sent its first batch of goods to Afghanistan via transit through Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, using a combination of rail and road transport. At that time, plans were announced to increase cargo turnover along the new route to 4,000 containers per year.

In July 2023, the first container block train traveled this route from Lanzhou, China. Reports indicated that cargo covered the journey through Kashgar, Osh, and Andijan in an average of 16–18 days.