Container transit via Middle Corridor surges 38-fold as Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan meet in Baku
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Container transit from China along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, or Middle Corridor, has surged 38-fold over three years, Kazakh and Azerbaijani officials said during a meeting in Baku. The talks focused on synchronizing port and rail modernization to prevent bottlenecks as volumes rise.
The Transit Surge
Container shipments from China through the Middle Corridor — crossing Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey to Europe — multiplied 38 times over the past three years, according to participants of the July 29 meeting in Baku. The corridor has emerged as a critical alternative to traditional routes, but further growth hinges on synchronized infrastructure investment. Without coordinated port and rail upgrades, officials warned, the route could face delays and capacity limits.
Kazakhstan’s Port and Rail Projects
Kazakhstan has completed dredging at the Kuryk port and is modernizing Aktau port, along with railway approaches to the Caspian Sea, to boost throughput. These projects are expected to accommodate more vessels, reduce cargo handling times, and expand container volumes. The delegation, including Samruk-Kazyna CEO Nurlan Zhakupov, Transport Minister Nurlan Sauranbayev, and Kazakhstan Temir Zholy head Yelzhas Otynshiyev, met with Azerbaijani Digital Development and Transport Minister Rashad Nabiyev.
The Strategic Stakes
The Middle Corridor offers Kazakhstan export diversification, port and rail revenue, and a role in Asia-Europe trade. But rapid volume gains create pressure to deliver simultaneous upgrades across all member states — from port dredging to border crossings and logistics centers. The route’s viability depends not only on Chinese cargo flows but on the ability of participating countries to modernize the entire transport chain in sync.
What's Next
The next round of technical consultations is expected in the coming months. It remains unclear whether financing and political alignment will match the pace of container growth.
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Container transit via Middle Corridor surges 38-fold as Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan meet in Baku
