Azernews.Az

By Aynur Karimova

Cargo flows on the Turkmenbashi-Baku railway ferry crossing in both directions are currently twice as heavy as that of its main competitor on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan's Aktau port.

This was noted in an analytical review released on November 11 by the Institute of Strategic Planning and Economic Development under the Turkmen Ministry of Economy and Development.

“Turkmenistan is actively developing promising transport corridors of North-South and East-West [traffic],” the review said. “They [the corridors] are designed to be a reliable bridge of cooperation for the development of trade and economic relations among countries on the Eurasian continent.”

More than a third of goods transported through the port of Turkmenbashi today are foreign, with products coming from Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, and other countries. From the Turkmenbashi port, the goods are then exported to countries such as Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Russia.

Over the last five years, the dynamics of cargo and passenger transportation via sea is characterized by a 2.2 times increase. The cargo turnover has increased more than sevenfold in the same period, according to the review.

Currently, Turkmenistan is involved in a number of major transportation projects, including the upgrade of the Turkmenbashi seaport and the construction of a new international airport in Ashgabat, high-speed highways, and railways.

Large investments are being made to develop all manner of continental communications. Some $2.5 billion was invested in this sector in 2015, twice the volume of investments made in 2014, according to the review.

The Turkmenbashi port is located on the last section of the Trans-Caspian railway, and today, it is linked with another important rail route, the North-South railway.

In addition, the Model Highway project has been jointly launched in Turkmenistan with the International Road Transport Union.

It is expected that in the future, this project will compete with other northern routes, as well as those running though Afghanistan and Iran.