Cargo turnover on Trans-Caspian route to significantly increase by 2020

17 July 2018 09:56 (UTC+04:00)

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The potential for growth in trade of the Trans-Caspian route ranges from $646 billion to $922 billion by 2020, which is equivalent to 300,000 containers in cargo capacity, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Kazakhstan Railways Maksat Kabashev told Trend.

He added that the cargo base focused on the route is represented by the markets of Kazakhstan’s European, Chinese and Turkish trade partners.

"The efficiency of the route will increase along with the increase in freight traffic, as well as, with the use of the Marmaray cargo tunnel and the connection to the system of pan-European corridors in Europe. The first train to arrive at the port of Mersin, after the completion of the construction of the new Baku-Akhalkalaki-Kars railway line, was loaded by Kazakh grain. From January to June 2018, 1,073 containers with Kazakh grain cargo were transported along this route," Kabashev said.

He added that Kazakhstan highly appreciates the historical significance of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway as the central part of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.

"The Trans-Caspian route has historically been the successor of the Great Silk Road. The Kazakhstan-Baku-Tbilisi-Kars link, as expected, will further increase the opportunities for transportation of export, import and transit cargo between Kazakhstan and Turkey in addition to road transport and sea traffic via the Black Sea," Kabashev said.

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