Esra Karataş AlpayOn July 9, two freight trains carrying 98 containers departed from Chengdu and Chongqing in China.
They travelled through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and into Türkiye via the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway, eventually reaching Istanbul’s Halkali Station.
From there, they set off toward Poland and Hungary — marking a major milestone in the operational success of the ‘Middle Corridor’ — a sprawling trans-Eurasian logistics route connecting China to Europe via Central Asia and Türkiye.
The first trains on this vital route mark the fruition of this ambitious project, which aims to bridge the gap between the east and west.
As the global trade landscape undergoes dramatic realignment, Türkiye is emerging as a vital artery for east-west commerce through the expansion of this vital corridor.
Once considered a peripheral route, the Middle Corridor is fast becoming a preferred alternative to the northern railways controlled by Russia and the slower, more expensive maritime routes to the south.
Turkish officials and regional experts now describe the corridor as a transformative opportunity not only for Türkiye but for Europe, China, and the Turkic world at large.
“Türkiye is becoming the backbone of trade, directly connecting 21 countries,” Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said recently at a conference in Istanbul.
“This corridor is twice as fast as maritime shipping and four times more cost-effective than air cargo. With continued investment, we expect to reduce travel time from the Far East to Europe to just 13 days.”
The Middle Corridor spans approximately 4,300 kilometres, with 2,200 kilometres running through Türkiye.
Uraloglu noted that Türkiye is already enhancing the corridor’s capacity, including new rail links in Istanbul and greater regional coordination.
“We are not just a transit country,” he said. “We are building a logistical ecosystem at the heart of Eurasia.”
Strategic realignment in global trade
International relations scholar, Professor Oktay Firat Tanrisever from the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, says that the Middle Corridor is more than a logistical solution; it is a geopolitical repositioning.
“The full activation of the Middle Corridor will generate immense opportunities — not only for Türkiye and the Turkic republics, but also for Europe and China,” he tells TRT World.
“It gives Türkiye the chance to transform from a passageway into a pivotal actor in shaping regional connectivity and security.”
Tanrisever further argues that Türkiye's potential is reinforced by the recalibration of trade alliances and logistical priorities in the post-pandemic, post-Ukraine war era.
“As Russia’s northern corridors become increasingly fragile and southern maritime shipping strains under cost and congestion, Türkiye becomes the most viable option for east-west movement,” he explains.
“Global logistics firms will not only use Türkiye — they will invest in it.”
A New Silk Road on steel tracks
The Middle Corridor — encompassing the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway and aligned with infrastructure such as TANAP — is being branded by the business world as the "New Silk Road." It is a concept that resonates far beyond transportation.
“Intermodal transport opportunities are known as the ‘New Silk Road’ or the ‘Middle Corridor’ in today’s business world,” says Cem Kumuk, a logistics business architect.
“These opportunities have emerged as an alternative for connecting China, one of the world's leading production centres, to Europe, one of its largest markets.”
“Compared to large-scale maritime container transport, the Middle Corridor offers distinct advantages — cost savings, shorter delivery times, and a reduced environmental footprint,” he tells TRT World.
“This new mode of transportation offers significant potential for Türkiye to establish itself not only as a corridor but as a command centre of regional logistics.”
East Meets West
The train from Chengdu travels 10,400 kilometres to Lodz, Poland, while the second train from Chongqing covers 10,998 kilometres en route to Budapest, Hungary.
These seamless, uninterrupted rail connections — traversing the South Caucasus and Anatolia — exemplify the corridor’s growing importance in global supply chains.
“Türkiye’s critical role in east-west freight movement is being reinforced with every successful operation,” Minister Uraloglu stated. “We are committed to growing our logistical strength at the heart of the Middle Corridor.”
As infrastructure expands and new rail investments gain momentum, experts caution that success will require more than steel and concrete.
“The key will be integration,” says Tanrisever. “This corridor will only succeed if there is political cohesion, regional alignment, and agile diplomacy to match the engineering.”
As trade routes diversify and global dependencies shift, Türkiye is not only positioning itself as a key connector between Asia and Europe — it is defining logistics, diplomacy, and direction of 21st-century commerce.
