KTZ teams up with AD Ports Group for multimodal development
Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) and AD Ports Group are establishing a joint venture combining maritime and rail transport expertise. The joint venture will focus on enhancing logistics operations in Central Asia and the Caspian Sea axis...Read more
Making sense of the Middle Corridor in a post-war context
For forwarders focusing on containerised cargo volumes, using the Middle Corridor between China and Europe costs more than it brings. The route gained much exposure because of the war in Ukraine as an option to...Read more
Caspian Sea low water levels a concern for Middle Corridor operations
The Caspian Sea waters have reached critically low levels, a development that could be a reason for concern for Middle Corridor operations. The water depth has decreased by 7.1 per cent at the side of...Read more
KTZ scores positive volume results amidst wave of new developments
KTZ’s container transportation via its subsidiary KTZ Express has increased by 2,6 times year-on-year for the first half of 2023. The overall transportation amounted to 346.000 TEU. Cargo flows linked to China have contributed much...Read more
Will INSTC synergy attempts produce the expected results?
A new technology and logistics union is in the making in Russia to foster closer trade and economic ties with countries around the Caspian Sea and Central Asia. The union’s primary purpose will be to...Read more
Fesco to build container terminal on key INSTC node
terminal thursdayRussian transport giant Fesco will build a container terminal in the Ashtrakan region, an area of Russia that borders Kazakhstan and the Caspian Sea. The location is relevant for the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)...Read more
Kyrgyzstan-Russia open new transport route, but what for?
A new transport route linking Kyrgyzstan and Russia via the Caspian Sea is about to open soon. The route will also cross Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan and run through the Caspian Sea, linking the port of...Read more
Under pressure: Russia-India attempt to speed up INSTC trade
ANALYSISThe Russo-Indian relations’ development dynamics are increasingly characterised by interdependence and attempts for more engagement. The two countries share plans varying from sea transport to rail freight, joint ventures and payment mechanisms, but not all...Read more
KTZ tests new China-Europe route to avoid the congested Black Sea
Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) sent the first trans-Caspian China-Europe train from Jiaozhou, in eastern China, to the port of Koper, in Slovenia. The convoy, loaded with new electric vehicles, covered the 13,000-kilometre route in 45 days....Read moreMiddle Corridor update: another vessel added to the Caspian Sea fleet
A seventh short-sea service has been added on the Caspian Sea, facilitating Middle Corridor traffic flows. The crossing of the Caspian Sea is considered a bottleneck on the corridor between Europe and China, which is...Read more
Record-breaking traffic on Russia-India corridor, but where is the train?
Record volumes are transiting through the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC) this year, but it has little to do with rail. Shipments are passing through Iran by truck, as the railway network in the...Read more
New Asian intermodal train indicates Iran’s shifting transport role
A new China-Iran intermodal rail service also crossing the Caspian Sea is here to change the dynamics of Silk Road and Central Asian transport. It is the first service of its kind, linking the Chinese...Read more
New line Constanta-Budapest speeds up delivery from Guiyang
The railway line from the Romanian port of Constanta to the Hungarian capital Budapest opened in early June, operated by Grampet Group. The opening was a fact with the first shipment from Guiyang in China...Read more
Iran’s missing North-South corridor rail link proceeds with construction
About one-third of the railway line connecting Rasht and Bandar Anzali in Iran has been constructed. 11 out of 35 kilometres of track are in place already, and the line’s construction proceeds despite some technical...Read more
Middle Corridor room for 60-80 weekly trains this fall, is this enough?
From September this year, the number of vessels sailing between the ports of Aktau in Kazakhstan and Baku in Azerbaijan will increase to six, which means a doubling of the capacity on the Middle Corridor,...Read more
Azerbaijan upgrades railways to connect Russia and India
Azerbaijan is reconstructing an important part of its railway line that lies on the International North-South Transport Corridor. The works are upgrading the Sumgayit-Yalama railway line. Following the opening of a 23-kilometer section in late...Read more
Caucasian states a transit hub for freight from Central Asia
For Kazakhstan, the Caucasian states have already become an important region in terms of transport. It operates the seaport facilities in Georgia, engages the region into its multimodal logistics solutions such as the Middle Corridor...Read more
Russia proposes new corridor between Caspian and Black Sea
The ports on the Caspian and Black Sea could be connected with a new transport corridor which will run only through Russia. The new route will be an alternative connection to the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway that...Read more