ASTANA, Kazakhstan, November 19. The volume of rail transportation along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR or Middle Corridor) reached 2.6 million tons in the first ten months of 2025, Trend reports via Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ).
This announcement was made by Salamat Abzhaliyev, Deputy General Director of KTZ-Freight Transport, during a roundtable discussion on the topic "Assessment of Transport Volumes on the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) for 2025 and Transport Plans for 2026," held in Aktau with the participation of key Kazakhstan exporters.
Abzhaliyev emphasized that the share of Kazakhstan’s exports along this route has reached 74 percent.
According to information, the most notable growth was observed in the transportation of non-ferrous metals, which surged by 84 percent, followed by a threefold increase in grain shipments and a 16 percent rise in the transport of chemical and mineral fertilizers. The volume of westbound transit also grew by 32.4 percent.
During the roundtable, representatives from Kazakhstan Railways highlighted that to enhance the route's efficiency, a comprehensive audit was conducted. As a result, on September 30, 2025, a joint action plan was signed at the New Silk Way Forum in Almaty by Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.
The plan addresses key areas including infrastructure development (such as purchasing vessels for container transport), streamlining administrative procedures, digitalizing transportation processes, and harmonizing tariff policies.
The Middle Corridor is a transport and trade route that passes through several countries in the region, connecting Asia with Europe. It serves as an alternative to the traditional North and South corridors. The route begins in China and passes through Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. It then crosses the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye before reaching Europe.