ASTANA – Rather than the initial plan of 700,000 tonnes of cargo, approximately 1.2 million tonnes will be transported through the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) by the end of the year, reported the Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) press service.
Photo credit: kazinform.
Members of the TITR international association met recently in the capital. Speaking about the corridor’s viability, KTZ head and TITR management chair Kanat Alpysbayev noted “by the end of this year, the volume of transportation will reach about 1.2 million tonnes instead of the planned 700,000 tonnes.”
“For further development of the route, there is a need to fix competitive tariffs approved by all TITR participants for a longer period,” he said.
Alpysbayev stressed new opportunities for transportation growth along the route, which is connected to the opening of the new Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and the launch of the automobile component at the Kuryk port ferry complex on the Caspian Sea. He also proposed signing a roadmap to reach delivery deadlines of no more than 15 days.
“This will result in big cargo traffic and strengthen the volumes of these facilities, as there is a need to strengthen joint work with Azerbaijani, Georgian and Turkish partners. The Kazakh side will make every effort to maximise the stimulation of cargo flows, including reducing the delivery time of cargoes to 14-15 days,” he said, referring to the total time needed to ship goods from China to Europe.
To attract cargo traffic to the route, he noted the importance of organising the launch of regular container trains, at least twice a month, in the China-Turkey/Georgia direction. Consideration should also be given to the use of feeder vessels, with the possibility of transporting 40-50 containers.
As part of the general meeting, multimodal operator KTZ Express concluded an agreement on rail transportation services in Turkey. The association also approved a new board in connection with the changes in the first leaders of Georgian Railways and Batumi Sea Port.
