A new rail service between China and Central Asia has seen the light in the past week. Chinese second-hand cars are now making their way onto the Uzbek market via the tracks, which is a helping hand to automobile exporting companies.
The train with second-hand cars departed from the Chengdu International Railway Port in Sichuan. Twelve days later, it entered Kazakhstan through Khorgos and continued onwards to Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Chinese media point out that the availability of rail as a mode of transport is of great benefit to exporters. To illustrate, global political and economic instability has a large impact on customers, which subsequently require faster and cheaper deliveries from Chinese exporters. The Uzbek importers expressed a wish for delivery times to be reduced from 20 to 10 days and lower purchasing prices.
Saving millions
“In the past, goods had to be transported by road, which was time-consuming and costly. Now the railway is directly connected, and it is expected to save millions of yuan in logistics costs throughout the year”, Jiang Liying, chairman of Sichuan Huanyu Haimai International Trade Co. Ltd., commented on the departure of the train to Tashkent. Transport by rail also avoids the risk of damage that is associated with road transportation, she said.
Chengdu is one of the first cities in China to start exporting second-hand cars. In 2024, the Shuangliu Second-Hand Car Export Base in Chengdu exported over 6,000 cars, with a trade value that approaches one billion yuan.
Modestly good start to the year
Chinese rail freight had a modestly good start to the year. In January and February, the total freight volume grew by 0,34 per cent year-on-year, amounting to 808 million tonnes. February on its own saw a larger growth percentage at 3,7 per cent.
The Daqin railway, a dedicated coal transport line in the north of the country, saw the total volume of coal growth by 7,67 per cent to 57,45 million tonnes. Container transport also did good business at the start of 2025. A total of 129 million tonnes of containers were moved via rail (up by 14,6 per cent year-on-year).
The Western Land-Sea Corridor, which connects Chongqing in central China with southern ports, saw significant growth. A total of 209,000 TEU was transported on the route in January and February, up by 58,4 per cent year-on-year.
China expects to move 4,03 billion tonnes of freight by rail in 2025, which would be an increase of 1,1 per cent compared to 2024.