ASTANA, Kazakhstan, August 13. The volume of container traffic from China along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, or Middle Corridor) has increased 14 times since the beginning of the year compared to the same period last year, Trend reports, citing Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ, a national company).
As KTZ noted, in order to develop a multimodal transport corridor connecting China and Europe/Türkiye, Kazakhstan Railways and KTZ Express (a subsidiary), together with other participants in the route, are working to increase traffic volumes, improve service, and speed cargo delivery.
To date, delivery times from Altynkol station to Absheron (Baku) have been reduced to 9 days, to Poti/Batumi (Georgia) to 12 days, and to Constanta (Romania) to 20–22 days.
In 2023, KTZ established a joint venture, Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd., with the railway administrations of Azerbaijan and Georgia. The coordinating operator will strengthen efforts to develop multimodal service on the route, with the provision of services on a "one-window" principle and guaranteed delivery time and cost.
At the same time, KTZ, with the involvement of large international logistics companies, is actively developing ports and port infrastructure in the Caspian Sea.
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.