ASTANA – Central Asia is entering a new phase of transport infrastructure development as growing trade, shifting global supply chains and the search for alternative routes reshape the region’s role in Eurasian connectivity. What is emerging is no longer simply a collection of individual roads, railways and border crossings, but an increasingly interconnected network linking China with Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus, Europe and South Asia.
According to the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), Central Asia currently has 114 infrastructure projects either underway or under consideration, with a combined value of around $72 billion. More than half of the planned investment, approximately $46 billion, is directed toward roads, while railways account for around 30%.
The scale of investment reflects a broader shift in the region: transport infrastructure is increasingly being treated not only as a means of moving goods, but as a foundation for trade diversification and deeper regional integration. Aidos Omarov, senior analyst at the EDB’s Center for Integration Studies.
Photo credit: EDB “The Central Asia region is now at a very intensive stage of not only economic development, but also infrastructure development, in connection with which the demand for high-quality transport infrastructure and, accordingly, high-quality transport services is strongly increasing,” Aidos Omarov, senior analyst at the EDB’s Center for Integration Studies, said during an EDB webinar on Sept.
11. Central Asia’s geography makes this transformation particularly significant. All five countries are landlocked, while the region sits between some of the world’s largest economic centers, including China, Europe and the Middle East. This means improving connectivity within Central Asia can strengthen national transport systems while creating alternative international routes.
Kazakhstan occupies a particularly important position in this network. The EDB’s data identifies around 55 transport infrastructure projects in Kazakhstan with a combined value of $32.6 billion, nearly half of the region’s total investment portfolio. Around 85% of overland transit between China and Europe passes through Kazakhstan, making the country’s infrastructure critical to the wider Eurasian transport system.
The development is taking place across several corridors rather than along a single route. Investments are planned for the Middle Corridor, the Central Eurasian Corridor and the North-South route, while projects across Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan are expanding connections between Central Asia and neighboring regions.
This diversification is increasingly intertwined with China’s role in the region. “China is now becoming the key, largest foreign investor. Chinese participation is represented in the development of transport infrastructure in all, without exception, countries of Central Asia.
In our Observatory, we have presented slightly more than 20 projects involving Chinese companies and Chinese capital. Moreover, participation covers practically all types of transport. These are roads, railways, airports, seaports, and, moreover, China participates using all forms – loans, grants, technical assistance, construction, public-private partnerships and direct investment,” Omarov said.
The scale of Chinese involvement is notable. According to the EDB, the portfolio of transport projects involving Chinese companies in Central Asia is worth around $7 billion, more than the combined investment volume of all international development banks tracked by the Bank’s research.