On April 23, meetings of the Working Group, Board, and General Assembly of the International Association of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TCITR) began in Astana, Qazinform News Agency reports. Representatives of railway administrations, ports, and logistics operators from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, China, and European countries are participating in the event.
The meeting will last through April 24. According to meeting participants, the route demonstrated steady growth in 2025, with container traffic volumes increasing by 36% compared to 2024. A total of 42,000 TEUs were transported through Kazakhstan via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), including 356 container trains from China - a figure that is 38 times higher than in 2023.
An all-time record was set on April 12, 2026, when six trains departed from China in a single day. Amid the transformation of global supply chains and geopolitical instability, the TITR has evolved from an alternative route into a full-fledged logistics product capable of competing with sea freight in terms of speed and reliability.
Deputy Chairman of the Board of JSC NC Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, Yerlan Koishybayev, emphasized that the development of transit and logistics potential remains a strategic objective for Kazakhstan. “The Trans-Caspian Transportation Route has already moved from the category of promising to a sought-after and operational logistics solution.
Today, it provides competitive service and strengthens the positions of participating countries in the global supply chains. It is a vital artery linking East and West. By 2026, our target is to handle between 600 and 1,000 container trains from China," he noted.
Several agreements regulating container traffic between the Caspian Sea ports, as well as defining the distribution of responsibilities among the parties for container train transportations are planned to be signed following the meetings. The participants have already approved a transportation plan for 2026.
The TITR, also known as the Middle Corridor, connects China and Kazakhstan with markets in the Caucasus, Turkiye, and Europe via the Caspian Sea. The International Association serves as a coordination platform for railway administrations, port operators, and logistics companies in the participating countries.
Earlier, in an interview with Silk Way TV, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said that Serbia views the Transcaspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor, as a strategic opportunity to position itself as a major logistics and industrial hub in the Balkans.