Aktau, (TDI): Kazakhstan’s national railways company, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), announced the signing of founding documents to establish a container hub at the Aktau Sea Trade Port.
The agreement was signed between KTZ Express (a KTZ subsidiary), China’s Lianyungang Port, and Kazakhstan’s Aktau Port in Xi’an, China.
The project is supported by the governments of Kazakhstan and China under the Belt and Road Initiative, aiming to boost Kazakhstan’s role in international logistics.
Strategically located on the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), the hub is expected to enhance the Middle Corridor’s appeal and increase transit traffic.
The Lianyungang Port has been a long-standing partner of KTZ Express, with previous collaborations including the Kazakh-Chinese terminal in Lianyungang and the Khorgos Gateway dry port on the Kazakh-Chinese border.
A container train carrying 55 40-foot containers departed from Xi’an, traversing the TITR route through Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Bulgaria, before reaching its final destinations in Europe, including Hungary.
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The journey from Xi’an to Baku will take 8-11 days, with the entire route to Budapest spanning 25 days.
This expedited transit is credited to the coordinated efforts of railway and port authorities across TITR member countries.
Xi’an Dry Port Terminal
Opened earlier in 2024, the Xi’an dry port terminal now forms 30% of all China-to-Europe container trains passing through Kazakhstan.
KTZ said that cargo transit along the TITR has surged 20-fold in the first eight months of 2024, significantly reducing delivery times to Azerbaijan and Georgia.
