The strategic importance of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TCITR) has grown in recent years, paralleling geopolitical and economic developments on both global and regional scales. Against the backdrop of global logistics markets adapting to new conditions, the development of this multifaceted transport route, which encompasses transit states in Central Eurasia such as Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Kazakhstan, and Georgia, has become a priority for many nations and multinational corporations. Following prolonged delays in traditional transport and logistics corridors caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trans-Caspian Corridor began to gain prominence in global freight transport. Its importance was further highlighted after the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine war, creating new long-term opportunities for the sustained development of this multimodal trans-regional route.
Established in 2013 in Astana with the formation of the “Coordination Committee for the Development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route” by the governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan, TCITR is often considered a rival to the Trans-Siberian railway, the main rail link between Europe and China. This logistics channel, starting at the China-Kazakhstan border, utilizes rail and maritime transport to traverse Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye, extending to Europe’s eastern borders. The first intercontinental test shipments via container transport from China westward occurred in 2015. Since then, cargo exported from China has intermittently arrived at the Alat Port via TCITR. Since 2020, regular container shipments have been conducted twice monthly from Türkiye to China via the Trans-Caspian Corridor. The westward transportation of cargo from the East is made possible by the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and the Alat Port.
The Trans-Siberian railway, also known as the Northern Corridor, which traverses Russian territory, has played a vital role for years in delivering Chinese goods to European consumers (and vice versa). Through this trade route, Beijing has long been able to transport the majority of its goods to Western markets efficiently. Although the Trans-Siberian railway remains the main land transport route between Europe and China, many international logistics companies have ceased using it following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While the Northern Corridor has not been directly included in Western sanctions lists, its usage has significantly declined compared to previous years. Consequently, leading global freight and logistics companies, such as Maersk (Denmark), Nurminen (Finland), COSCO (China), MSC (Switzerland), ÖBB Rail Cargo Group (Austria), CEVA Logistics (France), Rail Bridge Cargo (Netherlands), and Gebrüder Weiss (Austria), have turned to alternative transit routes.
Among these alternatives, the greatest hope has been placed on the Trans-Caspian Corridor. To effectively meet the growing demand for freight transport via TCITR, these companies continue to expand their activities. In this regard, the aforementioned transport and logistics firms not only use TCITR to transfer their cargo but also play a key role in its technical development and optimization. Alongside local governments, major global financial institutions, such as the Asian Development Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the World Bank, which have long worked to diversify global transport-transit routes, have also shown interest in developing the Trans-Caspian transport corridor.
Unlike the Northern Corridor, TCITR’s need to cross several countries’ land and sea borders, along with customs checkpoints, reduces its attractiveness. Additionally, weak coordination between international freight carriers and relevant state institutions along the corridor negatively impacts the efficiency and reliability of international freight transport via the Trans-Caspian route. These issues are highlighted as key challenges preventing the corridor from operating at full capacity, necessitating closer cooperation and joint action among TCITR member states.
In the context of uncertainties in global supply chains, member states of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TCITR), taking into account the aforementioned factors, have started to take practical steps to eliminate bureaucratic obstacles, implement unified tariffs and a “single-window” system, establish electronic customs payment management systems, address technical deficiencies, and organize unified interagency coordination. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukrainian territories, high-ranking officials from countries along the corridor have periodically held meetings in various formats. These meetings have focused on systematically simplifying the necessary processes for freight transportation via TCITR and on digitizing and improving customs procedures. As a result, the current critical geopolitical situation in Eastern Europe has encouraged the strengthening of mutual political and economic ties between TCITR countries and the identification of shared strategic interests.
Against the backdrop of severe economic sanctions imposed by the Western bloc on Russia, TCITR countries have made significant progress in establishing efficient multilateral collaborations to rapidly commercialize this intercontinental transit route, increase its throughput capacity, diversify supply chains along the corridor, and create an attractive business environment for local and foreign investors. Without delving into details, multilateral international agreements aimed at improving and optimizing the physical and digital infrastructure within TCITR were signed in March, April, May, June, July, and November 2022, primarily between Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Kazakhstan, and Georgia. Furthermore, the formation of an economically efficient and competitive intercontinental transport corridor has also been a central topic at the summits of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), which has become one of the major power hubs globally in recent years. Notably, at the VIII, IX, X, and XI summits of the OTS held in Istanbul (2021), Samarkand (2022), Astana (2023), and Bishkek (2024), various proposals were made to develop the Trans-Caspian Route.
Railways form the backbone of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TCITR). In terms of freight transportation, railways are considered cheaper than air transport and faster than maritime transport. Overall, TCITR spans the territories of four countries (Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye) and two water bodies (the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea). Its annual freight capacity is estimated at a maximum of 10 million tons, including 200,000 containers. According to official data from Azerbaijan Railways (ADY), trains operating on TCITR transport wagons from China to Europe in approximately 10–12 days. However, this transit time can vary depending on the speed of customs operations between countries, port congestion, and weather conditions in the Caspian Sea.
Despite operational improvements in 2022, including the optimization of customs processes and synchronization of activities among relevant institutions, delays in container transportation across the Caspian Sea between the Aktau and Turkmenbashi ports to the Alat port remain an issue due to adverse weather conditions. These delays continue to pose challenges for TCITR, and it is no coincidence that reports on transit times along the corridor differ across various sources.
According to ADY’s publicly disclosed figures over the past three years, container shipments via TCITR increased by 45% in the first 10 months of 2022 compared to the same period in the previous year. During this time, the volume of transit cargo passing through Azerbaijan grew by approximately 65%, with oil and oil products (34.3%) constituting the largest share of transported goods. In the first nine months of 2023, freight volumes along TCITR rose by 88%, reaching 2 million tons. Between January and October 2024, total freight volumes via TCITR grew by 68% year-on-year, reaching 3.8 million tons. In other words, container shipments along the route nearly tripled over the past year to 46,300 units. By the end of 2024, it was planned to dispatch approximately 300 container block trains from China via the Middle Corridor, equating to roughly 30,000 TEUs. The capacity of TCITR is projected to reach 10 million tons by 2027.
According to the current framework, cargo arriving at the Alat Port via the Trans-Caspian Corridor is transported to European markets along two routes. One route passes through Georgia’s Poti and Batumi ports across the Black Sea, while the other follows the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway through Turkish territory. The container blocks arriving at the Alat Port are dispatched from Kazakhstan’s Aktau and Turkmenistan’s Turkmenbashi seaports, depending on the export point and destination country. Notably, agreements reached between the Alat Port and leading European logistics companies have led to a significant increase in the transportation of certain technical products. For instance, during the first nine months of 2022, 9,316 units of wheeled machinery were transported via the port, which represents more than a threefold increase compared to the same period in 2021.
As containerization rapidly expands across the Caspian region, the development of international seaports such as Alat, Aktau, Kuryk, and Turkmenbashi is aiding in the enhancement of TCITR’s freight throughput capacity. Amid global efforts to stabilize and secure supply chains, both Brussels and Beijing are focused on improving the existing infrastructure along TCITR and constructing new facilities. The development of TCITR is crucial for integrating landlocked countries such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan into global markets. Additionally, the corridor plays an essential role in enabling the export of Turkish products to Central Asian markets while bypassing the sanctioned territories of Iran and Russia.
It is evident that Russia’s isolation from global markets cannot last indefinitely. Therefore, collaborative efforts by the aforementioned countries to address the challenges they face could help TCITR seize this historic opportunity to its fullest potential.
In summary, for the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route to fulfill its economic and political potential, it is equally important to improve both the physical and digital infrastructure based on land and sea and to continually strengthen diplomatic and commercial relations among member states. In the context of rapidly changing geopolitical and economic realities, Central Asian countries—particularly Kazakhstan, the region’s largest and most powerful state—gradually distancing themselves from Kremlin influence, Azerbaijan’s diplomatic efforts to establish multilateral economic collaborations, Türkiye’s active policies in the South Caucasus and Central Asia, and the collective actions of Turkic states through the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) and regional consortiums will contribute to increasing TCITR’s role in the global supply chain.
Vusal Guliyev is the Head of Shanghai Office at AZEGLOB Consulting Group, a Policy Expert at the Topchubashov Center, and an Associate Research Fellow at the China Studies Center of Khazar University. He is a graduate of Shanghai International Studies University.
