The Kazakh terminal in Xi’an that started operations in February 2024 is seeing a noticeable growth in transit volumes in the first months of 2025. Last year, transit shipments through the terminal accounted for approximately 276,000 tons, or 23,000 TEUs. Figures from the first four months of operations in 2025 show that the terminal has already processed 10,524 TEUs (126,288 tons). Major Chinese car manufacturers appear to be driving the volume growth.
Chinese automotive companies like BYD, Chery, Geely, and Hongqi are key shippers that KTZ serves through its Xi’an hub, and as the company states, cars and their components occupy a substantial portion of the volume. Other cargo types the terminal serves include electronic equipment, metal products, and consolidated cargo.
Boosting Middle Corridor traffic
The Kazakh operator also shares that the Xi’an terminal has substantially contributed to boosting container traffic volumes from China via the Middle Corridor. It speaks of a 33-fold increase in 2024 compared to 2023. This number corresponds to approximately 360 container trains leaving China and transiting via the Middle Corridor in the past year.
For reference, in June 2024, four months after the terminal’s opening in Xi’an, KTZ had reported a ninefold increase in westbound container train traffic, and a 70 per cent increase in overall freight traffic via the Trans-Caspian route.