The Turkish company Pasifik Eurasia Lojistik said on Wednesday it has signed a railway transport agreement with a subsidiary of China Railway to launch cargo train services along a corridor from China passing through Türkiye into Europe, bypassing Russia.
Ten train services will be operated initially, with a goal of reaching 1,000 services per year, the firm said in a statement shared at the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP).
The company's officials had visited China last month, initially announcing they had reached an agreement with the Chinese firm regarding transportation via the Middle Corridor.
The partnership with the state-owned company overseeing railway logistics across China is expected to accelerate freight volumes along what is known as the Middle Corridor.
"The agreements signed by our company regarding China transportation up to now have been made with companies in different provinces of China, and the above-mentioned agreement was signed with the company of the state institution that coordinates the railway logistics activities in all these provinces," Pasifik Eurasia said.
The Middle Corridor is a China-Europe cargo route promoted by the West as an alternative to shipments via Russia, and it includes Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye.
The agreement will ensure time and cost advantages when compared to the North Corridor via Russia, parent company Pasifik Holding Chairperson Fatih Erdoğan said.
"The cost of transporting through the Middle Corridor provides a $500-$1,000 advantage per container compared to the Northern Corridor following the Ukraine-Russia war," Erdoğan said.
The agreement will also accelerate the current 25-35 days average duration from China to Europe, compared with 40-53 days through the other route.
"This development supports both our country's strategy of becoming a logistics center and our company's goal of becoming a major player in BTK and the Middle Corridor," the company also said, referring to the Baku-Tbilis-Kars (BTK) railway.
