First China Wuwei City – Georgia Tbilisi Cargo Train Departs

New Gansu-Georgia service significant as it uses the southern multimodal Belt and Road route

The first direct cargo train from Gansu’s Wuwei City to Georgia’s capital city Tbilisi departed last Saturday morning, marking the inauguration of the Wuwei-Tbilisi cargo train services.

The cargo is Chinese machinery and auto parts worth 22.03 million RMB yuan (US$3.46 million) and will travel 7,360 km via rail through Kazakhstan, exit at the Kazakhstan’s Aqtau Port, ship across the Caspian sea to the Azerbaijan Port of Baku, be reloaded onto rail and travel West to Tbilisi.

According to Lanzhou customs, major goods exported from China to Georgia include mechanical and electrical products, steel, and related products, while the imported goods from Georgia include copper ore, wine and copper products.

Wuwei is located at the east end of Hexi Corridor, an ancient silk road route running along the Yellow River between the Qilian Mountains and the Govi Desert, being a major trading town in the past on this route.