ARKHANGELSK, September 30. /TASS/. The current year's first Arctic Express train departed from Arkhangelsk, the Northern Railway's press service said, adding the cargo from China had been delivered along the Northern Sea Route.

"This year's first container train with cargoes delivered from China along the Northern Sea Route has departed from Arkhangelsk," the press service said. "The train with car components is heading for the Tula Region."

The plan is to form another four trains with imported containers. Earlier, nickel concentrate was brought to the port for further export to China. "The Northern Railway continues to develop container transportation, including along multimodal routes to China," the railway's CEO Rashid Saibatalov said. "We are forming the Arctic Express trains in Arkhangelsk, at the Solombalka station. For those trains we have been using accelerated traffic schedules."

On September 22, the first in year 2026 ship from China, The Hainan Yangpu NewNew Shipping, delivered to Arkhangelsk about 880 containers with car components.

The Northern Railway has been serving the Arctic Express trains from Arkhangelsk since 2024. Over 2024-2025, the company formed more than 40 trains with imported goods, and Arkhangelsk received about 30 trains with products of the forestry complex and the chemical industry for further export.