BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 11. Growing
containerized trade between China and Central Asia and rising
demand for reliable rail transport prompted FESCO to launch its new
Caravan Shuttle service connecting China with Uzbekistan and
Kazakhstan, a representative of the Russian transport and logistics
group told Trend in
an exclusive interview.


"The key drivers were the steady growth in containerized trade
between China and Central Asia and rising customer demand for
reliable and predictable rail services," Kulakov Egor said.


According to FESCO, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are among the
region's fastest-growing logistics markets, while overland rail
routes remain the preferred option for moving cargo from China due
to geographical and economic advantages.


The company also pointed to the rapid development of
manufacturing clusters in western China, particularly in Sichuan
Province, as another major factor behind the launch of the
service.


"Another important factor is the rapid development of
manufacturing clusters in western China, particularly in Sichuan
Province, which generates significant export cargo flows to Central
Asia. Against this backdrop, the launch of FESCO Caravan Shuttle
was a natural next step in expanding the Group's overland route
network," Kulakov noted.


FESCO said its newly opened office in Chengdu will serve as one
of the company's key hubs for strengthening logistics links between
western China and Central Asia.


"The Chengdu office is becoming one of FESCO's key hubs for
developing overland logistics services from western China. This
will not only enhance the quality of our customer service but also
help increase containerized rail volumes to Central Asia, the
Republic of Belarus and, of course, Russia," he said.







The company described Central Asia as one of its priority
regions for expanding international rail transportation, with
Uzbekistan playing a particularly strategic role.


"We see Central Asia as one of our priority regions for the
development of international rail transportation. Uzbekistan plays
a particularly important role in this strategy due to its
geographical location, growing foreign trade volumes, expanding
industrial base, and position as one of the region's key transport
and logistics hubs," Kulakov mentioned.


FESCO noted that it has been operating in Uzbekistan for more
than 15 years through its FESCO Tashkent Shuttle service, which
connects Vladivostok Commercial Sea Port with Tashkent's Chukursay
station. Over the past 12 years, the company has dispatched around
600 container trains on the route, transporting import cargo from
East and Southeast Asia to Uzbekistan.


The Caravan Shuttle complements the company's existing logistics
network by offering customers an additional overland route from
China into Central Asia.


Regarding cargo volumes, FESCO said it plans to begin with one
to two scheduled container trains per month while remaining ready
to increase capacity as demand grows.


"At the initial stage, we plan to operate one to two scheduled
container trains per month, with capacity available to multiple
shippers. As demand and cargo volumes grow, FESCO is ready to scale
up the service and gradually increase departure frequency on the
route," he added.