Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) significantly increased the volume of transit shipments through the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) in 2024, this is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

KTZ: Volume of Transit Cargo from China
Photo: ҚТЖ

In the first seven months of this year, container shipments from China via this route grew 14 times compared to the same period in 2023.

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This rapid growth is attributed to a series of measures taken to improve the efficiency of the route.

In 2023, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia joined forces to create the joint venture Middle Corridor Multimodal.

This initiative simplified and accelerated the cargo transportation process along the TITR by introducing a “single window” principle. Clients can now expect fixed delivery times and transparent rates.

Simultaneously, Kazakhstan is actively developing port infrastructure on the Caspian Sea coast, which also contributes to the route’s efficiency.

As a result, the delivery times for goods along the TITR have been significantly reduced.

Cargo from China now reaches the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, in 9 days, and the Black Sea ports of Poti or Batumi via Georgia in 12 days.

Delivery to the Romanian port of Constanta, with the crossing of the Black Sea, takes 20 to 22 days.

In total, 7.7 million tons of cargo passed through the Altynkol station in the first seven months of 2024, of which 3.1 million tons were transit cargo from China. This is 8% and 15% more, respectively, compared to last year.

The acceleration of transit shipments is observed not only on sea routes but also on land routes.

In July 2024, a container train from the Chinese terminal in Xi’an passed through the Khorgos border crossing and reached Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in just 5 days.

Photo: KTZ

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