Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) launched a new intermodal connection to Türkiye. The route connects Medeu, in the Almaty region, with Köseköy, southeast of Istanbul, through rail-sea-rail along the Middle Corridor.
Freight trains will do most of the heavy lifting, as they will move cargo through Kazakhstan between Medeu and the port of Aktau, on the Caspian Sea. A ferry will then be deployed to reach Baku, in Azerbaijan, and reloaded on trains to reach Türkiye via Tbilisi. The total journey should take between 20 and 25 days.
“The cargo sent to Kazakhstan includes chocolate and confectionery products, vegetable oils, food products, industrial and technological equipment. In the opposite direction, from Kazakhstan to Türkiye and regional markets, grain crops and agricultural products are regularly transported”, KTZ Express, KTZ’s rail freight arm, added.
Leading the Middle Corridor
Türkiye and Kazakhstan are among the leading countries in the Middle Corridor initiative. The former is trying to establish itself as an alternative entry point into Europe to the traditional rail route via Russia and Poland. The latter is trying to do the same, for similar reasons, but with its neighbour China, investing in terminals and border crossings.
Another recent key development for the Middle Corridor concerns the Zangezur Corridor, a railway connecting Azerbaijan and its enclave Nakhchivan through Armenia. The two countries recently brokered a deal that might lead to some time of peace and the possible construction of this line, which would create an additional and shorter artery for Eurasian rail freight.