China, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have signed an agreement on the construction of the railway between the three countries. The document specifies financing, the route to be taken, operation and maintenance. Reportedly, construction will begin in October. The three countries took part in an online signing ceremony on Thursday, 6 June. The agreement sets in stone…
Category: Middle Corridor
Kazakh Xi’an terminal boosts Middle Corridor traffic by 70%
The Kazakh rail terminal in Xi’an, China, has boosted freight traffic on the Middle Corridor by 70 per cent. The terminal opened for operations in February 2024 and has since then significantly affected freight volumes heading west. According to the organisation Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, the Kazakh rail terminal in Chinese Xi’an has significantly boosted…
Turkey to start building key Zangezur connection in late 2024
Turkey will start building a railway from Kars to Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan’s exclave region, at the end of 2024. In combination with a possibly completed Zangezur Corridor, Turkey and Azerbaijan will have a direct rail connection, creating an alternative route for Asia – Europe traffic. According to the Turkish minister of transport, the Kars – Nakhchivan…
Tajikistan looking for 7,5 billion dollars in funding for rail
Tajikistan seems to be hopping onto the bandwagon for rail infrastructure in Central Asia. The country is looking for 7,5 billion dollars (7 billion euros) in investments for its rail network. The Tajik rail infrastructure is underdeveloped yet crucial for the country’s international trade. At an economic forum in the Russian city of Kazan, the…
Middle Corridor countries discussing 50% tariff discount
The Middle Corridor is too expensive as a competitive alternative to other transport corridors that connect Europe and China. In an effort to boost the route’s attractiveness, involved countries are now discussing a fifty per cent discount on tariffs along the route. Five countries that are part of the Middle Corridor are currently taking part…
Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway to open for traffic in two weeks
Freight trains will start running along the newly renovated Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway on 20 May 2024. The plan is to turn the line into the main artery of the Middle Corridor and further boost Eurasian rail freight transport, according to Roshvan Rustamov, Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways (ADY). Rustamov mentioned that the works on the Georgian…
The Middle Corridor remains too expensive as an alternative China-Europe route
The Middle Corridor, a multimodal China-Europe freight route through Central Asia, has garnered international interest as a potential alternative to transporting freight through Russia. Illustratively, the EU has allocated 10 billion euros for its development. The corridor remains too expensive to become a route of preference, explains Roland Verbraak, general manager of BTTMultimodalGroup. BTT, a…
CKU line to cost Kyrgyzstan 8 billion dollars
Kyrgyzstan will need to spend 8 billion dollars on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) rail line. Funding is the main obstacle to the construction of the route. Kyrgyzstan has not yet been able to find enough money to complete its part of the route. Akylbek Zhaparov, the head of the Kyrgyz cabinet of ministers, provided an update…
AD Ports Group acquires majority share in Tbilisi Dry Port
AD Ports Group has acquired a majority share in the Tbilisi Dry Port. The logistics company, headquartered in Abu Dhabi, purchased sixty per cent of shares. Construction on the dry port is still ongoing, but it is scheduled to enter into operation in late 2024. With the acquisition of a majority stake in the Tbilisi…
AD Ports Group acquires majority share in Tbilisi Dry Port
AD Ports Group has acquired a majority share in the Tbilisi Dry Port. The logistics company, headquartered in Abu Dhabi, purchased sixty per cent of shares. Construction on the dry port is still ongoing, but it is scheduled to enter into operation in late 2024. With the acquisition of a majority stake in the Tbilisi…