AN agreement has been reached between transport companies KTZ Express and Jiangsu International Rail Freight Express to initiate container trains from Jiangsu through Kazakhstan, reports London's Times of Central Asia.

Kazakhstan Temir Zholy's (KTZ) press services report that the agreement was signed in Nanjing, between KTZ and SOHO Holdings Group, Jiangsu province's largest state-owned commercial group.

The focus of the agreement between KTZ Express and Jiangsu International Rail Freight Express is strategic cooperation.

The companies have agreed to collaborate on organising and dispatching container trains through Kazakhstan, particularly along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TCITR).

KTZ had previously committed to organising and facilitating the transit of 3,500 container trains from various Chinese cities, including Xian, Jiangsu, Beijing, Zhengzhou and Chongqing, through Kazakhstan in 2024.

Earlier this year, Yuxinou and KTZ jointly launched a TCITR service from Nanjing to Apsheron in Azerbaijan, boasting an average transit time of no more than 18 days.

With a population of 85 million, Jiangsu ranks second in China in terms of economic development.

Its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023 amounted to US$1.8 trillion, and the province contributes 15 per cent to the country's total industry.