Chinese and Taliban officials announced the resumption of direct freight train services between China and Afghanistan. Yue Xiaoyong, China's Special Envoy for Afghanistan, confirmed a freight train carrying 55 wagons departed from Nantong, Jiangsu Province, bound for Afghanistan.
The first train, loaded with 50 containers of clothes, electrical appliances and other goods, will arrive at Hairatan port in northern Afghanistan in 20 days, the Afghan embassy in China said in a statement reported by Arezo News. A dedicated freight train departed Shandong Province for Hairatan port, marking the first such service from that specific region.
The journey is expected to travel through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan before entering Afghanistan via the Termez border crossing. A video showing the resumption of these services has circulated on X since 23 October 2026, though the footage actually dates from October 2024.
Kabul Now and Afghanistan International both published reports on 31 October 2024 regarding the launch of the direct railway line. Arezo News shared the video on 31 October 2024, while some observers noted that claims regarding the video's status as a new launch are misleading.
A pro-Iran user on X stated that Afghanistan now has a railway connection to China with the help of Iranian engineering firms, noting that Iran now has a new rail route option to China via Afghanistan. Another X user claimed that Pakistan will be sidelined by this connection, asserting that Afghanistan will not allow Iranian oil or LPG to enter Pakistan.
