The entry of China Railway Container Transport Corporation into the Middle Corridor Multimodal joint venture, announced in August 2025, marks a turning point for the Eurasian transport system. The initiative, which already involves Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kazakhstan, strengthens the Middle Corridor as an increasingly credible alternative to traditional sea and land routes, particularly the Northern Corridor crossing Russia. This development not only reshapes logistics flows between Asia and Europe but also redefines the geopolitical balance of the region.
The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, better known as the Middle Corridor, stretches from western China to Europe, passing through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. In recent years this multimodal infrastructure has emerged as one of the continent’s most dynamic trade routes. The figures confirm the trend: from 586,000 tonnes of cargo in 2021 to more than 4.4 million in 2024, with growth accelerated by the Russian-Ukrainian war and the consequent urgency of diversifying logistics.
The Middle Corridor Multimodal joint venture, created in 2023 and headquartered at the Astana International Financial Centre, represents an innovative model of international governance in the railway sector. Its main goal is to ensure reliable delivery times, coordinated tariffs and integrated services along the entire route, overcoming the operational fragmentation that has historically limited the corridor’s efficiency. On 8 August 2025, during an extraordinary meeting in Baku, the entry of CRTC was formalised. The Chinese company, controlled by China State Railway Group, brings significant financial resources, technical expertise and a nationwide logistics network.
Recent operational data confirm the growth potential. In 2024 Azerbaijan received 287 freight trains from China, but in the first seven months of 2025 alone 225 trains had already arrived, nearly double the figure for the same period of the previous year. Projections suggest that more than 400 trains will arrive by the end of the year. Container traffic is also rising sharply, with 24,000 TEU handled in the first seven months of 2025, about twice as many as in 2024. Driving this growth is the corridor’s ability to guarantee competitive transit times, with shipments from China to the Black Sea taking 10 to 12 days, and to Europe 15 to 18 days, compared to 45 to 60 days on traditional maritime routes.
The network relies on key infrastructure such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, completed in 2017 and recently upgraded to a capacity of 5 million tonnes per year. Georgian investments have removed major bottlenecks, and capacity is expected to rise to 17 million tonnes by 2034. The Caspian ports, particularly Aktau and Baku/Alat, are undergoing expansion to handle more container traffic. On the Black Sea, the ports of Poti and Batumi are also investing to strengthen rail-sea connections and ensure smooth integration with European networks.
Despite progress, the corridor remains affected by structural limitations. The World Bank has highlighted bottlenecks in areas such as Almaty and along the Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan border, as well as shortages of port capacity and rolling stock. The Caspian Sea’s weather conditions, with strong winds prevailing for much of the year, further complicate operations, compounded by the limited availability of cargo vessels. To tackle these challenges, the TITR member countries have adopted the 2022-2027 Roadmap, which foresees targeted investments ranging from the multifunctional terminal at Kuryk to the second phase of the Baku port, as well as improvements to Georgia’s rail connections.
The evolution of the Middle Corridor must also be understood in geopolitical terms. International tensions have made it urgent to diversify trade routes. By avoiding Russian territory and the instabilities of the Red Sea, the Trans-Caspian route offers a more stable, faster and politically safer option. It is no coincidence that the European Union has announced 10 billion euros of investments through the Global Gateway programme, while the United States is also eyeing new opportunities for infrastructure cooperation. China, for its part, considers this corridor an integral part of the Belt and Road Initiative, consolidating its institutionalised presence along the route through CRTC’s membership.
The outlook for the future is optimistic. By 2030 traffic could reach 10 to 11 million tonnes annually, supported by infrastructure developments and the involvement of global operators. The recent success of pilot shipments from Japan to Europe via this route, completed in just 22 days, highlights the potential for expansion beyond Chinese markets. At the same time, digitalisation will play a decisive role, with Chinese expertise in tracking systems and real-time data management promising to make the Middle Corridor not only a physical alternative but also a technologically advanced platform for Eurasian trade.
