Container transit on the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, better known as the Middle Corridor, reached 44,200 TEU in the first eight months of 2026, according to Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ). That is 16,200 TEU, or 58%, more than the 28,000 TEU moved in January–August 2025. Container trains dispatched from China climbed to 419 from 228, an extra 191 trains, or 84%. Route partners are working toward 600 trains for 2026 and 800–1,000 in 2027.
Where the numbers come from
KTZ released the figures on 15 September after a meeting of the Trans-Caspian route association’s working group in Bulgaria, where its delegation was led by Yerlan Koishibayev, deputy chairman of the management board. InfraNews and Index1520 carried the same data, and Kazpravda.kz ran its own piece on 9 October. The numbers match across all of them, though every report ultimately rests on KTZ’s own statistics.
Can the pace hold?
Last year, January–August averaged fewer than 29 trains a month. This year the average is about 52. Hitting 600 for the full year means roughly 181 more trains in September–December, around 45 a month — below the current run rate, at least on paper. KTZ has not published monthly figures, and the final tally will depend on Caspian ferry capacity, berth availability and how fast cargo is transshipped.
Why 44,000 and 77,000 are not the same thing
KTZ counts transit containers on the route; InfraNews reads that as essentially China–Europe traffic only. Another figure circulates widely: about 77,000 TEU for 2025, up 36% on 2024. Both Kazpravda.kz and InfraNews cite it, the latter attributing it to the ARFC association. InfraNews says the larger number also includes cargo in China’s trade with Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. Put 44,200 TEU for eight months next to 77,000 for last year, and it is easy to conclude — wrongly — that volumes are falling.
What else was on the table
Rules related to this news
The working group reviewed two draft documents: an agreement on how parties cooperate and share liability when container trains move on dedicated vessels, and an agreement guaranteeing loads for those vessels. Delegates also discussed 2027 tariffs for general cargo and containers, bringing more ships onto the route, and berth operations at Caspian ports. No rates were published.
The association has been active since 2017 and brings together 26 companies from 11 countries, including railways, ports, shipping lines and logistics operators.
What it means for shippers from China
More trains do not mean spare capacity on every leg. Ferries and Caspian berths were singled out at the meeting, so confirm vessel schedules and transshipment arrangements with the carrier before booking.
When comparing forwarders, ask which volume methodology they are quoting and which section of the route it covers.
The 2027 tariffs are still under discussion; rely on the carrier’s written commercial offer.
Cover image: AI-generated illustration, not a photograph and not a direct depiction of the events described.
Sources:
Zheleznodorozhnik Kazakhstana (rail-news.kz), https://rail-news.kz/index.php/ru/news/24850-globalnyi-tranzit-kliucevye-itogi-zasedaniia-tmtm-v-bolgarii.html
Zakon.kz (KTZ press release), https://www.zakon.kz/press-relizy/6531493-globalnyy-tranzit-itogi-zasedaniya-transkaspiyskogo-mezhdunarodnogo-transportnogo-marshruta-v-bolgarii.html
Kazpravda.kz, https://kazpravda.kz/n/konteynernye-perevozki-po-srednemu-koridoru-vyrosli-na-58-za-god/
InfraNews, https://www.infranews.ru/novosti/71493-ktzh-kontejnernyj-trafik-po-tmtm-v-soobshhenii-kitaj-evropa-vyros-za-8-mesyatsev-na-58-do-44-2-tys-teu/
Index1520, https://index1520.com/news/chislo-kitayskikh-konteynernykh-poezdov-na-marshrute-tmtm-za-yanvar-avgust-vyroslo-na-84/