ASTANA, Kazakhstan, March 28. The first train departed along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, or Middle Corridor) from the Kazakh terminal in the port of the Chinese city of Xi'an, Trend reports.
According to the Kazakh Ministry of Transport, the departure of the train took place as part of the visit of Marat Karabayev, Minister of Transport of Kazakhstan, to the Chinese port.
To note, the international dry port of Xi'an ranks first in China in terms of the volume of shipping and handling of container trains. The capacity of the Kazakh terminal in the Chinese dry port is 66,500 TEU per year.
The Middle Corridor is a transportation and trade route that connects Asia and Europe, passing through several countries in the region. It is an alternative route to the traditional Northern Corridor and Southern Corridor.
The route starts in China and crosses Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. It then passes through the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye before reaching Europe.
The Middle Corridor offers a land route that connects the eastern parts of Asia, including China, with Europe, bypassing the longer maritime routes.