BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. The Austrian Federal Railways' Rail Cargo Group supports the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, or Middle Corridor), Clemens Först, ÖBB Rail Cargo Group CEO, told Trend.
"In the Middle Corridor, geopolitics drive strong transport demand. Its viability hinges on whether Kazakhstan and the other nations along the route can use the current window of opportunity to build a reliable, cost-effective corridor. We have close ties to Kazakhstan and support Middle Corridor development," he said.
According to him, Kazakhstan is in a unique position to become the most important transit hub between Asia and Europe.
"There is already good experience and close cooperation with the Northern Corridor, and recent developments on the Central Corridor also seem to be moving more and more in the right direction," he said.
As he noted, the company's cooperation extends across the Central Asian countries, from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan and Georgia, and primarily involves working with state railway companies and their logistics units for rail freight transport in the intermodal sector.
"We offer our European customers a comprehensive transport chain from the first to the last mile, covering all available modes of transport between Europe and Central Asia," Först said.
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 lingering maritime routes.