ASTANA, Kazakhstan, May 31. The Kazakh terminal in the Chinese city of Xi'an has contributed to significant growth in container traffic along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, or Middle Corridor), Trend reports.
This was stated during a meeting of the Working Group on the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route in Shymkent, Kazakhstan.
Thus, according to the Working Group, since the commissioning of the Kazakh terminal in Xi'an, there has been an increase in container traffic by 70 percent, as well as a nine-fold increase in the number of container trains traveling from China in the direction of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Türkiye and Europe.
Thanks to the well-coordinated work of the members of TITR and the International Trans-Caspian Transport Consortium, the geography of container transportation has expanded, and new points of cargo origination have appeared in China - Chongqing, Yiwu, Sanping, Nanjing, and Jinhe. In addition to Absheron (Azerbaijan), the regions where cargo flows are repaid are Tbilisi, the ports of Batumi and Poti (Georgia), Istanbul (Türkiye) and Constanta (Romania).
During the meeting, it was noted that regular delivery schedules have been set up, which state that it will take 9 days to get from Altynkol station to Absheron, 12 days - to Poti or Batumi, and 20–22 days - from Altynkol via Poti or Batumi to Constanta.
In May of this year, the number of container trains on the route will be more than 30.
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.