ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, January 17. Turkmenistan will modernize its strategic Ashgabat-Turkmenbashi railway to enhance the country’s connectivity to international transit corridors “Lapis Lazuri”, TRACECA, International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), and Middle Corridor, Trend reports via the press service of the Turkmen Government.
The decision was made by President Serdar Berdimuhammedov during a Cabinet meeting held on January 16.
Meanwhile, Turkmenistan started the construction of the 207-kilometer Turkmenbashi-Garabogaz highway in the Balkan region. Construction will proceed in two stages: Turkmenbashi-Garabogaz and Garabogaz-Serkhetyaka (Kazakhstan). Upon completion, the highway will establish a modern transport corridor linking Turkmenistan with neighboring countries and enhancing regional trade and mobility.
Turkmenistan plays a key transit role in Central Asia, participating in the Lapis Lazuli Corridor (linking Afghanistan/Central Asia to Europe via Türkiye), as a potential link in the INSTC (via Iran/Persian Gulf), and as a Caspian Sea nation leveraging the Middle Corridor (Trans-Caspian) and the TRACECA network (Europe-Caucasus-Asia) to diversify trade, connecting to Europe, Türkiye, and the Indian Ocean through the Ashgabat Agreement, aiming to become a major Eurasian logistics hub and reduce reliance on traditional routes.