ASTANA, Kazakhstan, May 8. The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR or Middle Corridor), has been used for the first time for backhaul cargo operations, Trend reports via Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ).
A container train was dispatched from Türkiye to China via Kazakhstan, marking a new stage in the development of the route.
The project was implemented by KTZ’s subsidiary KTZ Express in cooperation with the Turkish company Pasifik Eurasia Lojistik Dış Ticaret A.Ş.
The train followed the route Izmir (Türkiye) – Aktau port – Altynkol station – Chengxiang (Fujian province, China). The shipment consisted of 50 forty-foot containers loaded with household refrigerators. Transit time across Kazakhstan on the Aktau port – Altynkol section amounted to 83 hours.
KTZ noted that the launch of backhaul operations confirms the growing demand for the Middle Corridor as an efficient and competitive route for cargo transportation from Türkiye and European countries to China.
It was also recalled that in 2025, cargo transportation between Kazakhstan and Türkiye increased by 34%.
The Middle Corridor is a trade and transport route connecting Asia and Europe through several countries in the region. It serves as an alternative to traditional Northern and Southern corridors. The route starts in China, passes through Central Asia, crosses the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, and reaches Europe, providing a shorter land-based alternative to longer maritime routes.
