As the Trans-Caspian International Transport route, widely known as the Middle Corridor, grows in importance, rail operators and other companies have committed to boosting traffic along the route. 

The Middle Corridor is a multimodal trade route that connects Central Asia to Europe through the Caspian Sea and the South Caucasus, thus serving as an alternative to traditional trade routes running through Russia and Iran. Against the backdrop of the changing geopolitical landscape in Eurasia, the Middle Corridor has re-emerged as a critical and relevant trade route without Russian involvement or influence. 

All 24 companies attending the General Assembly of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route International Association (TITR IA) Legal Entities Union in Baku on March 4, including TITR IA members, announced their goal to increase the cargo transportation volume via Middle Corridor up to 96,000 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), of which 88,000 TEU will be allocated to the Aktau-Alat route.

The meeting in Baku came at a critical time, given the rising importance of the Middle Corridor route for cargo transportation and global security uncertainty. 

The route already gained more impetus when, for the first time, a container train arrived at Baku port just 11 days after leading China’s Xi'an in January 2024, while another container train was dispatched to Xi’an from Baku via Kazakhstan in November. Container traffic along the route increased 2.6 times in the first 11 months of 2024, totaling 50,500 TEU. 

The TITR IA contended that the intensified partnership with China regarding cargo transportation and logistics is bearing fruit in light of growing sea shipping rates, which also contributed significantly to the growth of the Middle Corridor strategic importance. 

Indeed, one of the main milestones of TITR IA's meeting in Baku was the agreement to establish the organisation's permanent office in China’s Xi'an to oversee cargo operations and handle any delays or technical issues on time. 

Overall, in 2024 Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Georgian and Turkish railway companies witnessed growth of cargo flow alongside the route. For example, ADY reported that in 2024 more than 18.5mn tonnes of cargo were transported by the company, including transit, import and export operations, which indicates an increase of 5.7% compared to 2023. As for Kazakhstani railways, the cargo volume transported via the Middle Corridor rose to 4.1mn tonnes in 2024, a 63% increase. While, Georgian railways experienced a modest 1% of growth in 2024 with a total of 10.4mn tonnes of cargo, Turkish railways saw a 68% increase in cargo volume with 2.3mn tonnes transported by rail, and 6.3mn tonnes by sea, a 3% rise from 2023. 

During the event, Gaydar Abdikerimov, the secretary general of TITR IA, announced Kazakhstan’s plan to support ADY and Georgian Railways by providing wagon assistance, a move that will enhance rail cooperation between the two countries within the Middle Corridor partnership.

In order to increase the effectiveness of the transportation, during the event in Baku, all parties discussed increasing the speed of cargo flows and approved new tariffs. In addition to new cargo tariffs, Alua Satibaldiyeva, deputy director of Singapore-based Global DTC PTE Ltd company, announced that the company launched its new digital platform for railway companies to enable cargo owners and companies to easily track and trace their goods and detect problems on time, create a collaborative ecosystem, integrate Alat and Aktau ports in order to be able to watch container transportation in live regime and detect any occurred problems, and ease custom regulations. Moreover, the company will oversee the level of carbon emissions alongside the Middle Corridor route within the commitment it signed on the sidelines of COP29. 

Although some delegates highlighted the growing demand for the Middle Corridor route as the viable option for cargo flows from East to West and vice versa, some problems mentioned by representatives still need to be addressed to unlock the route's full potential. For example, Tariel Mirzayev, deputy chairman of Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (ASCO), stated that the declining water level in the Caspian Sea hinders the full-capacity operation of ferries as it has reduced the throughput capacity of Ro-Pax (roll-on/roll-off passenger) type ferries on the route between Baku Port and Kuryk Port. 

Azerbaijan already vowed to draw up a plan to manage the water decline with countries that share its coastline — Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran — during the COP29 in Baku. Azerbaijan actively seeks deeper partnerships alongside the Middle Corridor by heavily investing in and upgrading its infrastructure and logistics, and revealing plans to increase the number of container trains.

Another issue raised is that the surge in freight transportation volume makes it more difficult to allow more trains on the Marmaray railway line in Turkey, another crucial transit country on the Middle Corridor route. In response, the Turkish delegation highlighted plans during the meeting to launch an additional ferry train corridor seeking to link Bandirma and Tekirdag ports via the Marmara Sea.

TITR IA members also signed agreements and protocols on enhancing the partnership between participating companies on digitalisation and smart technologies in railway transportation.

Fuad Shahbazov is a policy analyst covering regional security issues in the South Caucasus. He was a research fellow at the Center for Strategic Studies and previously a senior analyst at the Center for Strategic Communications, both in Azerbaijan. He was also a visiting scholar at the Daniel Morgan School of National Security in Washington, DC. He tweets at @fuadshahbazov.