Rail freight Turkey: block trains, Europe, China The train crosses borders, the file stays with us.
We organise rail freight from Türkiye: block trains, wagonloads and containers. Below are the public-source facts on the Kapıkule route to Europe and the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars and Middle Corridor routes east. We arrange the road leg between factory and terminal ourselves, and customs brokerage is in-house.
- CIM · CIM/SMGS note
- Kapıkule · BTK · Marmaray
- Customs clearance in-house
Load type
Block train, wagonload, container
A rail shipment takes one of three forms. Which one fits depends on your volume, where you load and the destination terminal.
One shipper, one train
TCDD Taşımacılık defines a block train as carriage in which the locomotive and wagons are not changed between the loading and unloading stations, no shunting takes place at intermediate stations and nothing is loaded or unloaded on the way. The European transport statistics glossary calls it a full train load: one consignor, one loading point, one unloading point.
Wagonload
A consignment that uses a wagon exclusively for the whole journey, whether or not the wagon is full. Under CIM each consignment has its own consignment note, and unless agreed otherwise one note may not cover more than one wagonload (art. 6 § 6).
Containers on rail
A container, swap body or semi-trailer goes on the wagon as an intermodal transport unit. The note records its category and number (CIM art. 7 § 1 l), and goods carried in it are not treated as carried in an open wagon for liability purposes (art. 23 § 3 a). For stowing the box itself, see the container packing and seal rules.
Corridors
Kapıkule to the west, BTK to the east
The routes below come from public sources; they are not a claim that Edolines runs services on these lines. The train and terminal we use are named in the quote.
Kapıkule
Türkiye's Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure calls the Halkalı–Kapıkule line the country's most strategic rail corridor to Europe; in recent years 86% of rail export shipments used it. TCDD Taşımacılık lists Kapıkule and İpsala as the rail border crossings towards Europe.
Baku–Tbilisi–Kars
The BTK line opened on 30 October 2017 and links Kars with Georgia and Azerbaijan. From there the Middle Corridor crosses the Caspian Sea and runs through Kazakhstan to China. The first train carrying Turkish exports to China left Çerkezköy on 4 December 2020; a regular China–Europe freight service through TCDD Taşımacılık began with the first train dispatched from China on 9 July 2025.
Under the Bosphorus
Since early 2020 freight trains have crossed between Asia and Europe through the Marmaray Bosphorus tube. TCDD Taşımacılık reports round-the-clock passage through Marmaray from July 2025. A freight train from the east continues to the European side without being transferred to a ship at the Bosphorus.
Bogies change at the border
The track gauge changes between Türkiye and Georgia; the Ministry has reported ore block trains running between the two countries on wagons with exchanged bogies. SMGS lists three ways to cross from one gauge to another: transfer the goods to a wagon of the other gauge, put the wagon on bogies of the other gauge, or use adjustable-gauge wheelsets (art. 4).
Consignment note
CIM, SMGS and the common note
On rail the contract of carriage is evidenced by a consignment note. Which note applies depends on the countries the route passes through.
CIM. The CIM rules, Appendix B to COTIF, apply when the place of taking over and the place of delivery are in two different member states (art. 1 § 1). Türkiye, Bulgaria, Georgia and Azerbaijan are OTIF members. The contract is confirmed by a consignment note following a uniform model; consignor and carrier sign it, and the carrier certifies taking over the goods on the duplicate and returns it to the consignor (art. 6 § 2–4). The note may be electronic (art. 6 § 9). A CIM note does not have effect as a bill of lading (art. 6 § 5).
SMGS. Kazakhstan and China are not OTIF members; they are parties to OSJD's SMGS agreement. Georgia and Azerbaijan belong to both regimes. Türkiye does not appear on the list of SMGS parties.
CIM/SMGS. Where the two regimes meet, a consignment is normally reconsigned and a new note is made out. The CIM/SMGS note of CIT and OSJD replaces this with one document: it serves as a CIM note where CIM applies and as an SMGS note where SMGS applies, and the same principle holds for its use as a customs document. The manual lists Akhalkalaki in Georgia as a reconsignment point. TCDD Taşımacılık says it has used the note on the BTK route since 10 September 2021 and that Turkish customs treat it like a transit accompanying document.
Required entries
Consignor and consignee, place of taking over and of delivery, description and packing of the goods, gross mass, wagon or container number, a list of the documents customs require, and a statement that the carriage is subject to CIM (art. 7 § 1).
Who answers for the entries
The consignor is liable for loss or damage caused by entries that are irregular, incorrect, incomplete or in the wrong place, and by omitting the entries RID requires (CIM art. 8 § 1).
Russian plus a western language
On a CIM/SMGS note, boxes that concern both contracts are completed in Russian and in English, French or German; for consignments to China, Chinese may be added (GLV-CIM/SMGS point 8).
Liability
What the carrier pays
CIM ties the carrier's liability to a limit per kilogram, not to the value of the goods. Value above the limit is covered by cargo insurance.
For loss or damage, compensation may not exceed 17 Special Drawing Rights (SDR) per kilogram of gross mass short (CIM art. 30 § 2; unit of account COTIF art. 9). For loss caused by exceeding the transit period, compensation is capped at four times the carriage charge (art. 33 § 1).
There are two ways to raise the limit: declare a value above it on the note (art. 34), or declare a special interest in delivery (art. 35). The limits do not apply if the loss is proved to result from intent or recklessness (art. 36). To compare modes side by side, see carrier liability limits; for cover above the limit, cargo insurance and the ICC clauses.
7 days
Acceptance of the goods extinguishes claims for partial loss, damage and delay. For damage that is not apparent, the right survives if ascertainment is requested as soon as it is found and within 7 days of acceptance (art. 47).
One year
Actions arising from the contract of carriage are time-barred after one year, or two years for intent or recklessness (art. 48 § 1).
Who loaded it
Loss arising from loading by the consignor or unloading by the consignee is one of the special risks that relieve the carrier of liability (art. 23 § 3 c).
Customs and RID
Paperwork still counts on rail
CIM does not set aside customs or dangerous goods rules; carriage remains subject to that public law (CIM art. 2).
Customs brokerage is in-house: our own customs broker handles the export declaration, tariff classification and the origin and movement certificates (ATR, EUR.1); the file is never handed to a third party. In transit, NCTS Phase 5 went live on 17 November 2024; TCDD Taşımacılık reports that the simplified procedure for goods carried by rail under common transit ended with that switch. For T1 and NCTS, see the T1 transit document.
Dangerous goods on rail fall under RID, which is Appendix C to COTIF (COTIF art. 6 § 1). The note must describe the goods as RID prescribes (CIM art. 7 § 1 h). If the consignor fails to make those entries and the carrier did not know the goods were dangerous when taking them over, the carrier may unload, destroy or render them harmless without paying compensation (art. 9). Rules for every mode: dangerous goods rules by mode.
Our own broker
Export declaration, tariff code, ATR and EUR.1 in one file; see customs clearance and warehousing.
NCTS Phase 5
Since 17 November 2024 there is no simplified rail procedure in common transit.
COTIF Appendix C
Dangerous goods are entered on the note with their RID description.
What we do
One file, one contact
We organise rail shipments: we find the train, terminal and type of consignment note that suit your cargo, arrange the road legs and clear customs in-house. We put rail next to road and sea on time and cost, and you decide.
Pre- and on-carriage
Factory-to-terminal and terminal-to-consignee legs are arranged by us, by road; details on the road freight page.
Combining modes
To line up sea, rail and road on one schedule, see intermodal transport; rail links at the ports are on the Ports page.
One contact
The same person from booking to delivery. If there is bad news, you hear it from them before you have to ask.
Tell us the commodity, weight, loading place and destination. We reply with an itemised written quote the same working day, or the next working day outside office hours; nothing is charged beyond what the quote says.
This page gives no frequencies, transit times or prices. Route information comes from public sources and is not a claim that Edolines runs services on these lines.
Frequently asked
What is the difference between a block train and a wagonload?
In a block train the whole train carries one consignor's cargo from one loading point to one unloading point; locomotive and wagons are not changed and there is no shunting on the way. In a wagonload the consignment uses a wagon on its own, but the wagon travels in a train with other consignments. The quote states which one suits your volume and terminal.
Can cargo go from Türkiye to China by rail?
Yes. The route runs over the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars line and the Middle Corridor through Georgia, Azerbaijan, the Caspian Sea and Kazakhstan. The first train carrying Turkish exports to China left Çerkezköy on 4 December 2020. The train, departure day and transit time depend on the shipment, so they go in the quote; we do not publish transit times on this page.
What is the CIM/SMGS consignment note for?
It saves rewriting the note at the border when a consignment passes from the CIM regime to SMGS: the same document counts as a CIM note in the CIM area and as an SMGS note in the SMGS area. Its basis is SMGS art. 13 and the uniform-note provision of CIM art. 6 § 8. The manual says that using the note leaves the CIM and SMGS liability rules unchanged (GLV-CIM/SMGS point 12.1).
How much does a rail carrier pay for damage?
Under CIM, at most 17 SDR per kilogram of gross mass short. A declared value or a declared interest in delivery on the note raises the limit. Value above the limit needs cargo insurance.
Can dangerous goods travel by rail?
Goods that RID admits to rail carriage travel if they are classified and packed under RID and declared on the note with their RID description. If the declaration is missing and the carrier did not know of the danger, it may unload or destroy the goods without compensation (CIM art. 9). More on the dangerous goods page.
Does a CIM consignment note replace a bill of lading?
No. A CIM note evidences the contract of carriage but does not have effect as a bill of lading (CIM art. 6 § 5). What a bill of lading does is explained on the bill of lading page.
Sources
- OTIF — COTIF 1999 Appendix B: CIM Uniform Rules (text applicable from 1 May 2016) Art. 1 (scope), 2 (public law), 6 (contract and note), 7 (wording of the note), 8 (consignor's responsibility), 9 (dangerous goods), 23 (liability and special risks), 30 § 2 (17 units of account), 33 (delay), 34–36 (declarations, loss of the limits), 47 (extinction of rights), 48 (limitation) · otif.org (PDF) · accessed 30 Sep 2026
- OTIF — COTIF 1999 (version of 1 July 2015) Art. 6 § 1 (appendices; RID is Appendix C), art. 9 (unit of account: IMF Special Drawing Right) · otif.org (PDF) · accessed 30 Sep 2026
- OTIF — Member States Türkiye, Bulgaria, Georgia and Azerbaijan are members; Kazakhstan and China are not listed · otif.org · accessed 30 Sep 2026
- OSJD — Agreement on International Railway Freight Communications (SMGS), as amended to 1 July 2019 List of parties, art. 4 (carriage between different gauges), art. 13 (CIM/SMGS note), art. 14 § 3 (consignment note) · osjd.org (PDF) · accessed 30 Sep 2026
- CIT — CIM/SMGS Two legal regimes for Europe–Asia freight and reconsignment at the interface · cit-rail.org · accessed 30 Sep 2026
- CIT and OSJD — CIM/SMGS Consignment Note Manual (GLV-CIM/SMGS), edition of 12 December 2025 Points 3 (purpose), 5 (legal basis), 6 (conditions of use), 8 (languages), 12.1 (liability); Appendix 1 (participants and traffic axes), Appendix 3 (Akhalkalaki reconsignment point) · cit-rail.org (PDF) · accessed 30 Sep 2026
- TCDD Taşımacılık A.Ş. — 2025 Annual Report (Faaliyet Raporu) Block train definition; BTK in service since 30 Oct 2017; freight through Marmaray since early 2020 and round the clock from July 2025; first export train 4 Dec 2020; regular China–Europe service 9 Jul 2025; CIM/SMGS note on BTK since 10 Sep 2021; NCTS Phase 5 (17 Nov 2024); rail border crossings · tcddtasimacilik.gov.tr (PDF) · accessed 30 Sep 2026
- Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of Türkiye — Halkalı–Kapıkule high-speed line (6 Jun 2026) Halkalı–Kapıkule as the most strategic rail corridor to Europe; 86% of rail export shipments via this corridor in recent years · uab.gov.tr · accessed 30 Sep 2026
- Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of Türkiye — Two years of the Iron Silk Road (press release) Block trains between Türkiye and Georgia on wagons with exchanged bogies · uab.gov.tr · accessed 30 Sep 2026
- International Association Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) — Route Middle Corridor: China, Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and on to Europe · middlecorridor.com · accessed 30 Sep 2026
- Eurostat, ITF and UNECE — Glossary for transport statistics, 5th edition (2019) A.V-13 (types of consignment: full train load, full wagon load, smalls), G.II-02 (intermodal transport unit) · ec.europa.eu (PDF) · accessed 30 Sep 2026
This page is for information only. It is not a contract, a tariff or a service commitment. The conventions and official texts were read directly and article numbers are given. Route information comes from publications of public bodies and does not claim that Edolines runs services on these lines. Which note and regime apply depends on the route and the contract of the actual shipment.
Change log
- Page published. CIM and COTIF were written from OTIF's texts, SMGS from OSJD's text, the CIM/SMGS note from the CIT and OSJD manual, and the corridor facts from publications of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and TCDD Taşımacılık, all read directly. No frequencies, transit times or prices were given.