ASTANA, Kazakhstan, January 19. It is planned to increase the capacity of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, or Middle Corridor) from 6 to 10 million tons of cargo by 2025, said the Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan Alibek Kuantyrov, Trend reports.
He made the remark during the panel session “A New Dawn for Eurasia” at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As he noted, Kazakhstan is taking additional measures to increase the capacity of the TITR. In particular, new railway lines are being laid, and the infrastructure of ports located on the Caspian Sea (Kuryk, Aktau) is being expanded.
The minister pointed out that within the framework of TITR, there is an 86 percent increase in cargo transshipment through the seaports of Aktau and Kuryk, the volume of which in 2023 amounted to 2.8 million tons (2022–1.5 million tons). Also, last year, for the first time, 1.5 million tons of Kazakh oil were transported along the Middle Corridor, and grain terminals were built in the port of Kuryk.
Meanwhile, 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.
