BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 10. Kazakhstan is steadily expanding its transport infrastructure, seeking to turn growing connectivity with the Caspian region, China, Russia and Europe into a long-term driver of transit growth.
In 2025, 36.9 million tons of transit cargo passed through Kazakhstan, up 6.6% from the previous year. In the first six months of 2026, the rail network of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) carried 157.1 million tons of cargo, an increase of 3.5% year on year. However, transit growth itself has yet to match the country's ambitious targets: the government expects transit volumes to reach 55 million tons in 2026.
That is why Kazakhstan is now working on several fronts at once — expanding its rail network, modernizing ports and highways, increasing the capacity of border crossings and simultaneously digitizing transport processes.
Rail infrastructure remains one of the country's flagship priorities. The 836-kilometer second track on the Dostyk–Moyynty route, completed in 2025, increased the capacity of the section fivefold, from 12 to 60 train pairs per day. Construction of the 322-kilometer Moyynty–Kyzylzhar line is expected to shorten the route to the Caspian by almost 150 kilometers and reduce travel time by roughly one day.
Kazakhstan is also strengthening its road network. In 2025, around 13,000 kilometers of roads were built or rehabilitated, while revenues generated by the road freight sector reached 1.5 trillion tenge ($3.2 billion). Construction of the Aral–Caspian highway began in August. Once completed, it is expected to shorten the China–Caspian/Europe route by around 1,000 kilometers and two to three days. Cargo volumes along the route are projected to reach 13.2 million tons annually by 2029.
The Middle Corridor occupies a particularly important place in this system. Freight volumes along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route have increased roughly fivefold over seven years, reaching about 4.1 million tons in 2025. Kazakhstan is focusing not only on tonnage but also on containerization: around 77,000 TEUs were transported along the route last year, with the country targeting 300,000 TEUs by 2029.
Meanwhile, the modernization of the lifting and transfer bridges at the Port of Kuryk was completed in August, reducing processing times for rail ferries from 18 to 12 hours and for road ferries from 10 to six hours. Rail ferry capacity increased from 40 to 48 wagons. In the first half of 2026, Kuryk handled 884,800 tons, while throughput since the beginning of the year had exceeded 1.5 million tons by early August.
However, expanding physical infrastructure only creates the basic conditions for transit growth. The next question is how quickly Kazakhstan can reduce transport times along individual sections of its routes.
IRU Permanent Representative for Eurasia Vadim Zakharenko told Trend in an exclusive interview that around 80% of overland freight shipments from China pass through Kazakhstan. According to him, the country needs to develop infrastructure while also introducing rules and procedures that accelerate cargo flows and ensure operational transparency.
“Therefore, it is crucial to develop physical infrastructure while simultaneously implementing advanced rules, procedures, and all aspects of so-called ‘soft measures’ that help accelerate the flow of goods while ensuring an appropriate level of control and transparency in the operations carried out,” Zakharenko said.
Against this backdrop, digitalization is emerging as a separate pillar of Kazakhstan's transport policy. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has proposed launching a pilot digital transport corridor between Kazakhstan and Russia along one of the busiest routes. “Based on existing digital platforms, we propose launching, on a pilot basis, a Kazakhstan–Russia digital transport corridor along one of the busiest routes,” Tokayev said.
According to him, digital integration should help boost both bilateral trade and transit flows. In May, Kazakhstan and Russia also launched their first pilot operation involving autonomous freight trucks between the two countries. Tokayev described the experiment as a sign that transport cooperation is entering a new technological phase.
For Central Asia, digital interoperability is becoming increasingly important as pressure on existing corridors grows. Tatiana Rey-Bellet, IRU Director for TIR and Transit Systems, told Trend that even large-scale investments in physical infrastructure can have a limited impact if they are not accompanied by digital connectivity and harmonized procedures. “Effective transport is not limited to infrastructure,” she said.
According to her, trucks may reach borders faster thanks to new roads, but this brings little economic benefit if queues, repeated inspections and uncoordinated customs procedures remain at border crossings. IRU identifies electronic systems such as eTIR and eCMR as tools to address these bottlenecks.
Kazakhstan is also seeking to expand the use of advanced technologies along the Middle Corridor. Kazakhstan's Vice Minister of Trade and Integration Asset Nusupov told Trend that Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan could use artificial intelligence for predictive management of cargo flows between KTZ and the Port of Baku.
According to him, AI could be used to optimize schedules, reduce idle time, automate document processing and assess risks in cross-border trade. “By synchronizing our AI systems in logistics, we will ensure that the speed of goods movement along the route increases, while unpredictability decreases. This benefits shippers across the entire region,” Nusupov said.
International partners also view the Middle Corridor as a long-term project. Secretary General of the TRACECA Permanent Secretariat Jasurbek Choriev told Trend that international financial institutions are prepared to continue investing in the route, viewing its development as an integrated system spanning Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Black Sea region.
At the same time, Kazakhstan's transport strategy extends beyond overland routes. According to IATA, the number of scheduled air routes in the country increased from 200 in 2015 to 295 in 2025, while combined inbound, outbound and direct transit cargo volumes rose by 149% in 2024 compared with 2019. “IATA applauds the ambitions of President Tokayev for Kazakhstan to become an aviation hub for passengers and cargo. Opportunities for growth certainly exist,” IATA Regional Vice President for Europe Rafael Schwarzman told Trend in an exclusive interview.
The aviation sector, however, also highlights the gap between infrastructure potential and actual utilization. According to IATA, only 3% of passengers arriving in Kazakhstan continue their journey in transit to another country. Schwarzman noted that further development of air connectivity will be a key factor in strengthening Kazakhstan's position on international routes.
At the same time, Kazakhstan still needs to address the competitiveness of its aviation hub. According to IATA, airport operating costs remain a factor, including fuel prices, which are still higher than at major hubs such as Dubai. This shows that even with the necessary infrastructure in place, Kazakhstan needs to create commercial conditions capable of attracting new carriers and transit flows.
Overall, Kazakhstan is entering the next stage of transport development with a significantly larger infrastructure base. The second Dostyk–Moyynty track has increased rail capacity, new lines are bringing cargo flows closer to the Caspian, the modernization of Kuryk is accelerating the maritime leg, and the Aral–Caspian highway is expected to provide an additional road connection.
Transit volumes are expected to grow gradually as these projects are completed and bottlenecks are removed. Physical infrastructure will be complemented by digital integration among Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, China, Russia and other countries along the routes, helping accelerate cargo processing and strengthen the competitiveness of the Middle Corridor.
There is, however, a key constraint: infrastructure can expand faster than actual cargo flows. For Kazakhstan, therefore, success will be measured not only by new kilometers of railways and highways, but also by its ability to ensure that these assets are supported by stable transit demand.
This is where the next stage of Kazakhstan's strategy will differ from the previous one. The country is already building greater transport capacity; it now needs to ensure that railways, ports, roads, border crossings and digital systems operate as a single, integrated mechanism. If it succeeds, Kazakhstan will be better positioned to become one of the key logistics hubs linking China, Central Asia, the Caspian region and Europe.
