A freight train carrying communication equipment and other goods departed from Chongqing, China, on Monday and is expected to arrive in Afghanistan within 12 to 15 days, Xinhua has reported.
This marks the launch of a new direct freight route between Chongqing and Afghanistan, passing through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
The train is transporting telecommunications equipment produced by Chinese tech company ZTE, which will be used to expand Afghanistan’s communication infrastructure.
According to Liu Jianfeng, a representative from ZTE, the new rail route reduces transit time by three to five days compared to road transport, and lowers logistics costs by 15% to 20%.
Xu Runqiu, an executive at Yuxin’ou (Chongqing) Supply Chain Management Company, emphasized that the route’s launch strengthens economic and trade ties between China and Central Asian countries.
Chongqing has been positioning itself as a key inland logistics hub, with freight traffic to Central Asia and Europe expanding significantly in recent years. To date, the city has dispatched more than 18,000 freight trains across 50 routes, reaching over 100 cities in Asia and Europe.
