The Middle multimodal Corridor (TITR – Trans-Caspian International Transport Route) is increasingly strengthening its position within the international freight transport network, driven by growing interest from states and logistics companies in alternative routes between Asia and Europe.
In the context of geopolitical shifts and the need to diversify supply chains, more and more freight volumes are being directed towards this strategic corridor. Against this backdrop, companies and operators involved in the corridor’s development continue to invest in increasing capacity and improving logistics flows.
“In the past three years, we have focused our efforts on developing the Middle Corridor, creating increasingly more opportunities to meet the growing demand for freight transport. While in the past this corridor had more of a regional importance, today it is becoming a route with global impact and potential. It is one of the corridors offering the most alternatives and flexibility for multimodal transport, with a rapidly accelerating pace of development,” said Emil Mammadov, Advisor to the President for Trade and Logistics at Azerbaijan Railways and representative of ETRIA (Eurasian Transport Route Association – Middle Corridor).
The statement was made during the SEEFF European Congress* & FIATA REU Field Meeting 2026, held in Bucharest by the Romanian Freight Forwarders Association (USER), in cooperation with SEEFF and FIATA (International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations), in Bucharest.
According to industry representatives, the development of the Middle Corridor is supported both by investments in rail and port infrastructure, as well as by the digitalisation of logistics processes and the simplification of customs procedures among participating states. In recent years, the corridor has become an increasingly important component of trade between Asia and Europe, particularly for containerised transport, industrial goods, and logistics flows requiring faster transit times and more flexible routes.
The multimodal transport route known as the Middle Corridor, connecting China to Europe, has attracted growing international interest in the context of geopolitical changes triggered by the war in Ukraine. As a result, container traffic increased by 33% in 2022 (the year Russia invaded Ukraine), compared with the previous year.
Tripling transport volumes
Due to the sharp increase in container traffic on the Middle multimodal Corridor, driven by the rerouting of logistics flows following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, pressure on infrastructure quickly revealed the route’s operational limitations, including bottlenecks at border crossings, transshipment issues and a lack of coordination between operators. This subsequently led to significant delays and a decline in traffic in 2023. Awareness of these constraints prompted Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Turkey to sign a joint act
ion plan (roadmap), setting out investment priorities and measures needed to improve efficiency and further develop the Middle Corridor.
According to the World Bank study “The Middle Trade and Transport Corridor: Policies and Investments to Triple Freight Volumes and Halve Travel Time by 2030”, infrastructure modernisation and the implementation of measures to optimise logistics operations could significantly accelerate transport along the Middle Corridor and drive strong growth in freight volumes by the end of the decade. As a result of these measures, freight traffic along the corridor is expected to triple by 2030, reaching 11 million tonnes, while the share of intercontinental commercial transport will account for less than 40% of total volumes handled on this route.
Of the total flows crossing the Caspian Sea, around 4 million tonnes are expected to represent container transport demand. In the absence of improvements to the Middle multimodal Corridor, transport demand would be 35% lower than the projected growth level.
Trade flows between Europe and Kazakhstan, as well as those between Europe and China, will account for the largest share of freight volumes transiting the corridor. At the same time, the China–Europe trade relation shows the strongest increase in corridor usage by 2030 (+5,268%), although it still represents a small share of their overall trade, accounting for around 1% of EU–China trade.
According to the World Bank, in a scenario where the Middle Corridor is fully operationalised, by 2030 transport across the Caspian Sea would exceed 60% of trade between the participating corridor states, up from 40% recorded in 2021.
The implementation of investments and measures for the development of the Middle Corridor (MC) is expected to significantly boost the total volume of transported goods in absolute terms, with container traffic projected to increase by approximately 1.5 times.
At the same time, this development will lead to a diversification of transported goods, with a stronger shift towards higher value-added products, such as fertilisers, whose share is expected to nearly double.
Measures to advance the development of the Middle multimodal Corridor
According to the TITR Association, the volume of goods transported along the East–West–East axis continues to grow steadily, highlighting the increasing importance of operational efficiency and the broader implementation of digital solutions. The 2025 transport report for this route confirms a consistent positive development trend for the corridor.
In April 2026, a meeting of the Board of Directors of the International Association of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) took place, where transport plans for 2026 and the measures required for their implementation were discussed. Particular attention was given to improving transport efficiency and strengthening cooperation among corridor participants.
During the meeting, a memorandum of cooperation on the digitalisation of multimodal freight transport was signed, along with three agreements relating to the organisation of container transport between Caspian Sea ports and terminals and those along the TITR corridor, ensuring the loading of container vessels, as well as cooperation and responsibilities regarding the operation of block trains.
Currently, the Middle Corridor route has attracted 27 infrastructure and logistics companies from 11 countries, while full door-to-door tariffs are 25–30% lower than the baseline rates for the China–Europe route. In the first ten months of 2025, total freight volume exceeded 1.5 million tonnes, up 5% compared to the same period of the previous year, while container traffic increased by 37%, reaching over 63,300 TEU.
The Middle multimodal Corridor enables the transport of goods from Southeast Asia and China to Europe via Kazakhstan, across the Caspian Sea, and further through Azerbaijan and Georgia, offering an important alternative to traditional transport routes.
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