Azerbaijan, Central Asia Nations Aim to Leverage Middle Corridor’s Capacity

President Ilham Aliyev has highlighted the transport and transit cooperation between Azerbaijan and Central Asian nations as one of the pivots of bilateral ties.

Last week, at the meeting of Heads of State of Central Asia and Republic of Azerbaijan in Astana, Kazakhstan, President Aliyev said significant strides are being made to enhance the capacity and efficiency of key infrastructure projects, including the Middle Corridor.

“The increase of the throughput capacity of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway from 1 million to 5 million tons, the measures taken to expand the annual throughput capacity of the Alat International Trade Seaport from 15 million to 25 million tons, the orders for new vessels for Azerbaijan's commercial fleet at the Caspian Sea, as well as the infrastructure projects being carried out by the Central Asian countries, further increase the practical significance of the Middle Corridor,” he stated.

President Aliyev said Azerbaijan’s collaboration in investment projects with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan are in full swing thanks to Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan-Kyrgyzstan, and Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan joint investment funds.

After a comprehensive reassessment of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway in 2022, five years after its inauguration, the decision was made to expand its Georgian section. Under the five-phase modernization project, a total of 61 kilometers of railway tracks, 98 kilometers of contact network lines, 172 kilometers of 10 kV cables, and 338 kilometers of fiber-optic cables have been installed. Additionally, pedestrian walkways and roads along a 41-kilometer stretch have been asphalted.

Eventually, the throughput capacity of BTK line, an integral part of the Middle Corridor, increased from 1 million tons to 5 million tons, facilitating cargo operations from East to West and vice versa.

The 826-kilometer-long BTK line, connecting Azerbaijan’s railway network to Türkiye’s railroad grid, offers a quicker and more accessible rail link between China, Central Asia, and Europe. Traversing from Baku through Georgia’s capital Tbilisi to Kars in northeast Türkiye, it significantly reduces the overland journey between China and Europe to just 15 days, compared to the previous 25-45 days.

Once fully operational, the upgraded BTK railway is projected to handle up to 17 million tons of cargo annually, significantly enhancing Azerbaijan's rail transit capacity. The modernized BTK line is also expected to support an increased number of block trains, especially those traveling along the Middle Corridor from China to European markets.

Compared to the Northern Corridor, the Trans-Caspian International Trade Route (Middle Corridor) is a more economical and faster trade route between Europe and Asia, cutting the travel distance by 2,000 kilometers.

This multimodal route, which combines land and sea transport, extends from China through Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, then crosses the Caspian Sea via Azerbaijan and Georgia, reaching the Black Sea and Türkiye.

The Middle Corridor covers roughly 4,250 kilometers of railway and approximately 500 kilometers of sea routes. The goal of this corridor is to facilitate access to European markets via Türkiye and the Black Sea.

In addition to its efficiency, the Middle Corridor benefits from more favorable climate conditions, reducing travel time by 15 days compared to traditional sea routes. It also presents substantial opportunities for cargo movement across Asia, enabling goods to reach the Middle East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean region through integrated port connections in Türkiye.

In July, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ratified agreements with China to develop the Middle Corridor and enhance international road transport. The agreements aim to boost trade and economic cooperation by improving infrastructure for road, rail, and sea transport, and establishing logistics centers in both countries.

The two countries have secured a $3.7 billion investment for joint projects. Under this agreement, Kazakh Railways (KTZ) and China's Lianyungang Port Group plan to establish a container hub at the port of Aktau. According to Kazakh Invest, the project is designed to enhance logistics infrastructure and increase transit shipment capabilities through Kazakhstan.