BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 14. The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), also known as the Middle Corridor, is an ambitious and promising project, AsstrA's director in Kazakhstan Ramilya Akhmetova told Trend.
"Given the changes in global cargo flow and the unstable geopolitical situation, there is an increase in the active use of this route in international cargo transportation. Cargoes from the European Union are sent to Georgia's ports, from where they are delivered by road or rail to the port of Alat (Azerbaijan), then through the railroad crossing to the ports of Kuryk or Aktau," she noted.
According to Akhmetova, the route links China with Europe through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and further through the Black Sea and offers an alternative to traditional routes. International logistics companies, complying with the requirements of shippers as well as sanctions restrictions, are choosing this route, even though so far it can increase the cost of transportation by 1.5 times.
"It is worth noting that the capacity of a number of sections of this route is limited, and there are challenges associated with this. To minimize risks, AsstrA implements the practice of having our agents present at critical sections. We also carefully control the process of document execution to ensure uninterrupted and efficient transportation," Akhmetova emphasized.
Meanwhile, the Middle Corridor connects the container rail freight transportation networks of China and the European Union countries via Central Asia, the Caucasus, Türkiye, and Eastern Europe.
The multilateral multimodal transportation infrastructure links the ferry terminals of the Caspian and Black Seas with the railway systems of China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Türkiye, Ukraine, and Poland.
The middle corridor contributes to increasing cargo traffic from China to Türkiye, as well as to European countries and in the opposite direction.
To note, route trains traveling along this corridor deliver cargo from China to Europe in an average of 20-25 days, and this is one of the main advantages of this transport corridor.
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