Middle Corridor Cargo Transport Sees 35% Increase in Early 2024
Cargo transportation along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) has been on the rise, with a 35% increase in the first four months of the year. This positive trend was highlighted during a meeting between Azerbaijan Railways Chairman Rovshan Rustamov and China State Railway Group Chairman Liu Zhenfang.
A significant milestone was reached on May 20 when a train carrying 61 containers set off from the port in the Chinese province of Xian via the TITR. This comes after the completion of the modernization of a crucial 184-kilometer section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway route, an essential part of the TITR.
Furthermore, another freight train with 20 containers departed from Azerbaijan’s Absheron Logistics Center, heading toward Georgia. Rustamov emphasized the importance of the updated BTK railway in enabling the transportation of up to five million tons of cargo annually.
In addition, the volume of rail transportation between Kazakhstan and China also witnessed a significant increase, with a 14% rise to 10.1 million tons and exports surging by 21% to 4.5 million tons. The Altynkol-Khorgos border crossing reported an 8% increase in transportation to 4.2 million tons, with exports seeing a 42% rise to 1.5 million tons.
Meanwhile, the Dostyk station reported a transfer of 5.9 million tons of cargo to and from China, marking an 18% increase from the previous year. Exports from this station increased by 13% to three million tons.
Overall, these developments indicate a growing and thriving cargo transportation network along the TITR, benefiting multiple countries and facilitating trade between Central Asian countries and China.
