China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia Boost Middle Corridor Cooperation with New Rail Agreement
Railway operators from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia have signed a major cooperation agreement with China Railway Container Transport Corp., Ltd. (CRCT) to jointly advance the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), widely known as the Middle Corridor—a strategic trade link connecting China and Europe through Central Asia and the South Caucasus.
The agreement was concluded during the Second China Railway Express Cooperation Forum, held on 18 November in Xi’an under the theme “Connecting Asia and Europe for a Shared Future.”
According to Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the country’s national railway operator, the deal formalizes cooperation between CRCT and MIDDLE CORRIDOR MULTIMODAL Ltd., a joint venture established in 2023 by the railway companies of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. It aims to improve efficiency, safety, digital integration, and environmental sustainability across China–Europe rail container services along the trans-Caspian route.
Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia form the backbone of the TITR, which provides a vital alternative corridor between China and Europe that avoids Russia. In recent years, Kazakhstan has bolstered its role as a regional transit hub.
KTZ reports that freight traffic between Kazakhstan and China has surged more than 4.5 times over the past decade. Total freight volume for 2025 is projected to reach 35 million tons, with more than 29 million tons transported in the first ten months of this year—an 11% increase year-on-year.
Joint China–Kazakhstan logistics projects in Lianyungang, Khorgos, and Xi’an continue to deliver robust growth. Container shipments have risen more than fivefold over the past ten years, surpassing 1.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).
The Trans-Caspian route is also gaining momentum: container train numbers increased by 12% in the first ten months of the year.
To support this rapid expansion, Kazakhstan is investing heavily in rail infrastructure. The modernization and construction of 5,000 kilometers of railway track is underway—an upgrade that will boost the country’s annual freight-handling capacity with China to 100 million tons in the coming years.
