The Middle Corridor (Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, TITR) serves as a strategic trade link connecting Central Asia with Azerbaijan and onward to European markets. According to the Elevate Crossroadsanalytical platform, ten priority infrastructure projects are essential to achieving a threefold increase in trade volumes along the corridor:
→ Expansion of the Port of Poti
→ Modernization of the Port of Aktau
→ Procurement of locomotives and rolling stock for Georgia
→ Modernization of the Sivas–Kars–Georgia border railway section
→ Upgrading the Akhalkalaki–Türkiye railway section, including station expansion
→ Construction of the Almaty railway bypass to reduce congestion at the city’s rail hub
→ Development of a high-capacity rail line across the Bosphorus via the Third Bridge
→ Construction of a new Uzbekistan–Kazakhstan railway route to reduce border delays
→ Investment in port and railway infrastructure in Romania and Bulgaria
→ Digitalization and simplification of border procedures along the entire corridor
Freight traffic growth highlights the corridor’s increasing strategic importance: cargo volumes rose from 1.5 million tonnes in 2022 to 4.5 million tonnes in 2024, with a target of 11.4 million tonnes by 2030.
