ASTANA – Cargo transportation by rail between Kazakhstan and China reached a historic high of over 32 million tons by the end of 2024, the Railway and Water Transport Committee of the Kazakh Transport Ministry reported on Jan. 16.
Kazakhstan’s exports increased by one million tons to 13.7 million tons. The main export commodities included iron and non-ferrous ore, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and grain.
Imports also grew by 5%, while transit shipments through Kazakhstan surged by 19% to 15.3 million tons. Container transit to Europe rose by 43%.
A major contributor to this growth was the opening of Kazakhstan’s terminal at the dry port of Xi’an. In 2024, over 300 container trains passed through this terminal and the port of Aktau, 30 times more than in 2023.
