Cargo volume via Middle Corridor rises by a third
In four months of this year, the volume of cargo transportation via the Middle Corridor rose 35% compared with last year. This was stated during a meeting between Rovshan Rustamov, the chairman of Azerbaijan Railways, and Liu Zhenfang, the chairman of China Railway, that took place in China, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
One of the topics discussed during the meeting was subsidizing railway transit traffic passing through the territory of Azerbaijan by China so as to increase competitiveness of the Middle Corridor.
The Azerbaijani delegation presented projects carried out to develop the route’s infrastructure. In this context, the Azerbaijan Railways chairman noted that once resumed the volume of cargo transportation via the modernized Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will increase to up to five million tons a year.
In January-April this year, the volume of cargo transportation via this route rose 35% compared to 2023.
Beginning at the Chinese-Kazakh border, the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route or the Middle Corridor runs through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan and Georgia to Europe.
To note, during his state visit to Azerbaijan in March this year Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated that the enhancement of transport and logistics capacity is a strategic task and that the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route will contribute to expansion of trade dynamics but also strengthen the stance of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan as a bridge between East and West.
In general, Kazakhstan, thanks to its unique geographic location, connects major economic centers of Europe and Asia, making it a key player in transcontinental logistics chains, including the Middle Corridor.
