Turkmenistan Intends to Become a Logistics Hub of the China–Europe Corridor
Official news
Turkmenistan expects to transform into a key logistics hub of the China–Central Asia–Europe transport corridor following the modernization of the country's railway infrastructure. This was announced by Minister of Railway Transport Mammet Akmammedov at the Turkmen-Chinese Forum in Ashgabat.
According to him, the Ministry of Railway Transport has already announced an international tender for the preparation of a feasibility study for the modernization of the Ashgabat–Turkmenbashi line. The project provides for increasing the speed of passenger trains to 160 km/h, freight trains to 90 km/h, as well as increasing the daily throughput capacity to 35 pairs of trains. Similar work is also planned on the Ashgabat–Turkmenabat route.
The Minister emphasized that upon completion of the modernization, Turkmenistan will become not merely a transit point, but a full-fledged logistics hub on the East–West and North–South routes. Leading companies of the PRC, according to him, are already putting forward proposals for the creation of high-speed railway transport in the country, and China's experience is being considered as a benchmark for the modernization of the sector.
Akmammedov also noted that cooperation with Chinese manufacturers in the railway sector has been ongoing since 2005. During this time, Turkmenistan has purchased 180 diesel locomotives and 423 passenger carriages. In 2025, 20 freight locomotives that underwent maintenance in Xi'an were put into operation; by the end of the year, maintenance of another 20 units and the acquisition of five new freight locomotives are planned.