BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 7. A Chinese company, China Railway Container Transport Corp. Ltd (CRCT), has joined Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd, a joint railway venture of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Georgia, a source in Azerbaijan Railways CJSC (ADY) told Trend.
The decision was unanimously adopted following a trilateral meeting of Rovshan Rustamov, chairman of ADY, which is part of AZCON Holding, Lasha Abashidze, the newly appointed Director General of Georgian Railways JSC, and Chairman of the Board of Kazakhstan Railways National Company Talgat Aldybergenov.
The meeting discussed results of the seven-month activity of the Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd., established for the effective cooperation between the railway companies of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Georgia on the Middle Corridor development.
The parties emphasized the importance of enhancing the potential of the Middle Corridor, particularly expanding the digitalization of services along the route.
The meeting especially noted that in recent times there has been a growing trend in cargo transportation between China and Azerbaijan via the Middle Corridor. In 2024, 287 block trains arrived from China, while in the first seven months of this year alone, this number has already reached 225 block trains—nearly double compared to the same period last year. By the end of the year, the number is expected to exceed 400 block trains. In total, 24,000 TEUs were transported by block trains in the first seven months of this year, also representing nearly two times more than in the same period of last year.
In the course of the meeting, CRCT articulated its strategic
intent to integrate into the joint venture Middle Corridor
Multimodal Ltd, and the implications of this maneuver for the
advancement of the Middle Corridor and the East–West–East freight
logistics paradigm were deliberated.
Consequently, the integration of CRCT into the collaborative
enterprise received unanimous endorsement, and the pertinent
agreement was executed.
The cooperation between Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Georgia within the joint venture Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd. aims to ensure uninterrupted, reliable, and efficient cargo transport operations along the Middle Corridor, as well as to improve customer experience through a "single window" system. The participation of the Chinese company in this venture will create new opportunities for organizing container shipments from China to Europe.
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