The first “Arctic Express” train with Chinese imports has left the northern port city of Arkhangelsk in Russia. After Russia sent its first Arctic Express export train on 6 July, a return train is finally bringing back the route’s first yield over a month later.

The train departing Arkhangelsk port carries 78 containers loaded with car parts. In the coming weeks, another five two-way shipments are expected, says Russian Railways. The number of possible shipments is limited due to the challenge of navigating the icy northern seas.

Nevertheless, Russia and China have been working on an Arctic Sea route to bypass the congested Russian Far East rail infrastructure. As Russia is looking to grow its trade volume with China, not least due to Western sanctions, such alternative routes become a necessity. The Far East simply cannot handle more trains for the time being.

The Russian heartland connected to Chinese hubs

The Arctic Sea route provides a handy outcome. Even if it remains limited, ships can traverse the sea more and more often due to global warming. Now, the Russian port of Arkhangelsk is connected up to the Chinese cities Shanghai and Ningbo via sea. The Russian heartland, by extension, also gets an alternative avenue to the Chinese hubs via the Arctic Express trains.

The Arctic Express is being developed by Russian Railways in cooperation with the Chinese company New New Shipping Line. In the Arkhangelsk province, eight stations have been upgraded to be able to form container trains to make the Arctic Express possible, according to Russian Railways.