Kazakhstan plans to bolster the capacity of both the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) and the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) to ten million tons per year by 2027, and cooperate with Russia and Turkmenistan in establishing a joint venture for one-contact services on the INSTC, QazMonitor reports citing the Ministry of Transport.
What happened: During the meeting in the Mangystau region on the transport development of TITR and INSTC, Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin was informed about the ongoing work on both projects.
About INSTC: It is a 7,200-km long multi-mode network of ship, rail, and road routes connecting India, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.
Kazakhstan's role: The eastern branch of the INSTC runs through the Mangystau region, connecting the port of Aktau to the northern ports of Iran.
Route capacity and plans: In 2023, the volume of rail cargo amounted to 2.1 million tons, a 4% year-on-year increase. The officials expect to increase the capacity of the route from six to ten million tons by 2027.
Joint venture: Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan are planning to establish a joint venture to improve service, reduce the cargo delivery time and provide one-contact services for the route.
About TITR: It is an 11,000 km network of ship, rail, and road routes connecting Southeast Asia, China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Europe.
Route capacity: TITR has a capacity of six million tons. In 2023, the volume of transportation amounted to 2.76 million tons of cargo, a 65% year-on-year increase. In January 2024, transportation amounted to 274.2 thousand tons, up 147% year-on-year.
Plans for the route: The authorities plan to develop the route and increase TITR’s capacity to ten million tons by 2027. So far, work has begun on the construction of second tracks for the Dostyk–Moyinty railway, Almaty bypass rail line, container hub in the Aktau seaport, Sarzha Multifunctional Marine Terminal in the port of Kuryk, and dredging of both ports.