China Railway Container Group, a subsidiary of China State Railway Group, has joined the Middle Corridor Multimodal joint venture to support the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), New Silk Road Discovery reports.
Middle Corridor Multimodal was formed in 2023 by the state railways of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia to coordinate freight operations and infrastructure along the TITR. The route runs from China’s Xinjiang region through Kazakhstan, across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, and into Europe via Georgia and Turkey or Black Sea connections. It comprises over 4,200 km of rail and 500 km of maritime links.
The JV aims to integrate railway and maritime services to offer unified intermodal transport solutions. It is positioned as an alternative to the northern corridor via Russia, which has seen reduced traffic following the Russia-Ukraine conflict and EU transit restrictions. The TITR has gained renewed attention as shippers seek routes that bypass Russian territory.
Freight volumes along the Middle Corridor have grown rapidly. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport reports that 4.1 million tonnes of cargo moved along the route in the first 11 months of the previous year, up 63% year-on-year. Container volumes rose to 50,500 TEUs, a sixfold increase, highlighting growing demand for multimodal options between Asia and Europe.
China’s entry into the joint venture adds both operational and strategic weight to the TITR, with further expansion in volumes and infrastructure development expected as part of broader Eurasian logistics initiatives.
