Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov announced ongoing efforts to develop the Trans-Caspian Route during the 40th session of the Conference of Railway Directors of the Organization for Cooperation Between Railways, Qazinform News Agency reports. He emphasized the Trans-Caspian route is described as Kazakhstan’s unique advantage that combines both rail and maritime infrastructure.
According to him, container traffic is growing steadily, with plans to increase annual volumes from 80,000 to 300,000 twenty-foot containers by 2029. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of the member states, delivery times via the Middle Corridor have already been reduced to 18 days, with a target of 10 days.
Expansion of container hubs is underway in the Aktau and Kuryk ports attracting international companies, alongside development of the eastern branch of the North–South corridor, connecting to Gulf and Indian markets. Special attention was also given to digitalization.
Kazakhstan is implementing the Tezcustoms platform, which cut border clearance times with China from 8 hours to 30 minutes. Similar work is being extended to other countries. Olzhas Bektenov urged the member states to adopt advanced digital solutions to boost railway network capacity.
The jubilee session in Astana brought together delegates from about 30 countries, including China, Russia, Hungary, Vietnam, Poland, and South Korea.