As the press service of Kazakhstan Railways reported, the amount of cargo traffic through the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) over the period from January to June reached 1.3 million tons this year, which is 1.8 times more than last year. This statement was made after a meeting between railway officials from Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan and Kazakhstani exporters and cargo shippers.
The two sides agreed to put in joint efforts in order to speed up the process of cargo shipment via the TITR, improve the information-sharing process on the location of locomotives and cars and expand seaport infrastructure. They also discussed the range of issues related to boosting the transit of goods to Europe via the TITR.
The TITR stretches from China to Europe and goes through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. The route is supported by 20 companies, including railway operators, seaports, shipping and other transportation companies from eight countries. The cargo shipment is implemented with the help of railways and ships by the Caspian Sea.
In June 2023, Kazakhstan Railways and Azerbaijan Railways signed an agreement to establish a new logistical company, which is going to be responsible for tariffs, cargo handling and improving business processes related to the TITR. The third party of the agreement is Georgian Railways.
According to the Ministry of Industry of Kazakhstan, the delivery time for goods going along the TITR currently is 18 to 23 days, although initially, the delivery took 53 days on average. The three railway administrations are now expecting that the new joint company will ensure that goods are delivered within 18 days this year and shorten the delivery time to 10 to 15 days in the future.
In 2022, cargo shipping through the TITR reached 1.5 million tons, a 2.5 times increase over 2021. The amount of container shipments increased to 33,000 TEU last year. The government of Kazakhstan wants cargo shipment via the Trans-Caspian route to be expanded to 10 million tons per year in the middle term future.
