BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 18. The active work on the development of the Middle Corridor will start next year, Adviser to the chairperson of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC Emil Mammadov said at the session “International Transport Corridors in the Black and Caspian Sea Region,” within the framework of the Black and Caspian Freight Forum 2024, Trend reports.
“It is planned to expand the joint project from 2025. The most important goal is to launch a new wave of development of the Middle Corridor by June, which will include institutional development. We are talking about organizing new facilities, improving operational efficiency, implementing a reliable and transparent policy on delivery time - all these tasks will be solved within the framework of this ambitious project,” he said.
Mammadov noted that special attention is paid to terminals, which play a strategic role in the logistics chain.
“Although the main points have already been covered, it is important to note that the project involves much more than just the creation of a transportation route. It is a step towards strengthening international cooperation and developing the economies of the participating countries,” he added.
To note, the Middle Corridor links the container rail freight transportation networks of China and European Union countries via Central Asia, the Caucasus, Türkiye, and Eastern Europe.
Multilateral multimodal transportation infrastructure connects ferry terminals of the Caspian and Black Seas with 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.
The 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.