BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 1. Kazakhstan Temir
Zholy (KTZ) has organized the first multimodal transportation of
mineral fertilizers from Ekibastuz to the United Kingdom via the
Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR or Middle
Corridor), the company reports.


The shipment is being carried out using a combination of rail
and maritime transport. The route passes through Kazakhstan, across
the Caspian Sea, and further through Azerbaijan and Georgia. From
the Georgian ports of Poti and Batumi, the cargo is transported by
sea to the UK’s Port of Felixstowe.


"The new route has expanded opportunities for domestic
enterprises to supply products to the UK market. The use of the
TITR ensures competitive delivery times, diversification of
transport routes and increased resilience of international supply
chains," the company said.


Earlier, KTZ organized the export shipment of Kazakh products
along the Ekibastuz–Miami route. Currently, KTZ provides cargo
delivery services to the United States, the United Kingdom,
Belgium, Poland, the Czech Republic and other countries.


The Middle Corridor is a multimodal trade route connecting Asia
and Europe through several countries in the region and serving as
an alternative to the traditional Northern and Southern corridors.
The route begins in China and passes through Central Asian
countries before crossing the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and
Türkiye, ultimately reaching Europe. It is a land-based transport
route that bypasses longer maritime routes, linking the eastern
parts of Asia, including China, with European markets.







Kazakhstan's Vice Minister of Trade and Integration Aset Nusupov
told Trend that the
corridor has become one of Kazakhstan's main strategic assets over
the past decade.


"The figures speak for themselves. Over three years, from 2022
to 2025, the volume of transportation along the route increased
more than fivefold. By the end of 2025, total cargo traffic reached
4.5–4.7 million tonnes, of which container transportation accounted
for 76,900 TEUs (36% more than a year earlier)," the vice minister
said.


He noted that in the first quarter of 2026, 125 container trains
passed along the route, representing a 34.4% increase compared to
the same period last year. Over the same period, 85 trains operated
on the Xi'an - Alat Port route, twice as many as a year earlier.
Delivery times along the route have nearly halved, decreasing from
28–32 days to 11–13 days.