Kazakhstan & China Boost Cargo Traffic Along Middle Corridor

Kazakhstan and China have agreed to significantly enhance the Middle Corridor, a key trade route connecting China to Europe, by increasing the number of container block trains along the route to 600 per year. 

This announcement was made by Kazakhstan's Deputy Minister of Transport, Talgat Lastayev, during a roundtable event at COP29 in Baku.

Speaking at the session titled "Sustainable and Digital Middle Corridor and Beyond," Lastayev highlighted the rapid growth of cargo traffic along the route.

“This year, 27,600 TEU containers were transported along the China-Europe-China route, representing a 25-fold increase," Report.az quoted Lastayev as saying.

The Middle Corridor Multimodal joint venture was established in 2023 at the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC) and offers a “one-stop-shop” service for cargo delivery along this route. Its main goals are to improve transport coordination, provide transparent tariffs, and ensure consistent delivery times.

"The complexity of the route lies in its multimodality and numerous border crossing points. In this regard, the task is to digitalize logistics for direct container transportation from China to Europe,” Lastayev said. 

So far this year, 212 container block trains have used the corridor, passing through Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. The route has reduced the travel time from China to the Black Sea ports of Georgia to just 10-12 days. This efficiency highlights the potential of the Middle Corridor to become a major alternative to the traditional Northern Corridor, which is longer by about 2,000 kilometers.

In July, a Chinese railway delegation met with officials in Tbilisi to discuss upgrades to Georgian railways and the future of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line, a vital segment of the corridor. China Railway Container Transport Corporation (CRTC) reiterated its commitment to the joint venture, reflecting the deepening partnership between China and countries along the route.

China’s participation in the Middle Corridor aligns with Kazakhstan’s efforts to encourage more Chinese companies to use this route. Construction of key infrastructure in Xi’an and the Georgian port of Poti is already underway. Other projects, such as dry ports on the Kazakh-Chinese border and terminal expansions in the Georgian Black Sea ports, are also progressing.

CRTC’s growing involvement coincides with China’s plan to construct a new railway line linking Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. This line is expected to facilitate faster cargo delivery from China to Central Asia, the Middle East, and eventually Europe. The route will enhance the connectivity between China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, further strengthening the Middle Corridor.

The Middle Corridor offers an economical and faster alternative to the Northern Corridor, spanning 4,250 kilometers of rail and 500 kilometers of sea routes. By passing through China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye, it provides an important connection to European markets. As China-Europe trade exceeds $600 billion annually, this corridor presents major opportunities for Central Asian and South Caucasian countries to capitalize on this massive economic flow.