ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 7. A total of 200 container trains passed through Kazakhstan from China along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR or Middle Corridor) from January through August 2024, Trend reports via Kazakhstan's Railways.
The increase in container transportation became possible due to the creation of the Kazakh-Chinese terminal, which was built in early 2024 in Xi'an dry port. This terminal plays a key role in generating 30 percent of container trains transiting Kazakhstan to Europe.
Moreover, there have been notable improvements in cargo delivery times. Now delivery from Altynkol station (Kazakhstan) to Absheron (Azerbaijan) takes nine days, to Poti or Batumi (Georgia) - 12 days, and via Poti or Batumi to Constanta (Romania) - from 20 through 22 days.
According to the operator's data, only 11 container trains have been sent in this direction in 2023, highlighting the significant increase in cargo traffic.
To note, the Middle Corridor links the container rail freight networks of China and the European Union countries through Central Asia, the Caucasus, Türkiye, and Eastern Europe. A multilateral multimodal transportation infrastructure links ferry terminals on the Caspian and Black Seas with the railway systems of China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Türkiye, Ukraine, and Poland.
The Middle corridor facilitates increased cargo traffic from China to Türkiye, as well as to European countries and in the opposite direction. A route train along this corridor delivers cargo from China to Europe in an average of 20-25 days, and this is one of the main advantages of this transport corridor.