The Burunday Container Terminal (BCT) in Almaty, Kazakhstan, has officially opened its doors. Construction on the facility started in July 2024. The BCT aims to focus on “imported goods from China and neighboring and distant foreign countries”.
Kazakhstan is rapidly growing in its role as a transit hub for international freight transportation. “In the conditions of growing transit, Almaty is turning into a major global logistics hub with the potential to become one of the key players on the market of multimodal transportation in Central Asia”, says Solvo, the Russian TOS provider for BCT. “In order to withstand the high pace of development, the region needs transfer facilities of the new generation.”
To illustrate, freight transit through Kazakhstan grew by 21% in 2023 alone, which is largely thanks to the Middle Corridor. Rail container transit from China grew from 11 to 358 trains. By the end of 2025, that number is supposed to reach 600.
Automation and capacity
Against that background, Kazakhstan is investing in new freight processing facilities to boost its logistics capacity. Automation is a big part of the strategy. Puilat Khaitov, the general director of the BCT, said that without it, it would be impossible to deliver customers high quality services that correspond to international quality standards.
Solvo highlights that its TOS can automate the processing of all types of freight and transport. It allows planning the work of container trains and road transportation and managing personnel and equipment, according to Russian media.
At the moment, BCT handles container transshipment and has the capacity to process general freight. In the future, there are plans to add warehouse infrastructure to the facility to serve distributors, retailers, and 3PL companies. The terminal also plans to expand its range of cargoes and increase transshipment volumes.
BCT occupies a territory of 16.5 hectares and has a capacity of over 100,000 TEU per year. It also has 2,500 square metres of covered warehouse storage.