Middle Corridor development meetings. New members of the association

“Important meetings on the development of the Middle Corridor were held in Baku.

On March 3-4, meetings of the Working Group and the General Assembly of the Association of Legal Entities of the International Association “”Trans-Caspian International Transport Route”” (TITR) were held in Baku.

The meeting was attended by delegations from 10 countries, heads of railway administrations of the Association member states, high-ranking representatives of transport and logistics companies, including representatives of the Alliance Multimodal.

The event noted that the TITR, also known as the Middle Corridor, is becoming increasingly popular as one of the main arteries of regional transport links.”
“The participants discussed the need to improve the efficiency of operations, implement digital solutions and deepen cooperation to ensure fast cargo flow along the route.

The Executive Body of the Union of Legal Entities of TITR presented the report on the results of activities in 2024 and an analysis of transportation along the Trans-Caspian route was conducted.

Amendments to tariff rates, agreement project on digitalization, as well as agreements on the organization of feeder services between the ports of the Caspian Sea and ensuring the loading of feeder vessels also were discussed.” JSC Poti TransTerminal has joined the international association of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR)

The decision was made by a unanimous vote of the association members.

In addition to Poti TransTerminal, the Association also accepted Xian Free Trade Port (PRC) and UZ Cargo Poland (Poland) as associate members.

As noted in the Alliance Multimodal article about the new container terminal in Poti (click on the link), since 2023, PTC Holding has been implementing a project in the port area of ​​Poti to build a multimodal container terminal Poti Trans Terminals with a capacity of over 80 thousand TEU per year. The total investment is 30 million US dollars. The terminal is designed to handle container and packaged cargo using modern technological equipment, which will significantly increase the capacity of the Trans-Caspian route and give additional impetus to increasing cargo flow along this route.”
“Alliance Multimodal is also a member of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) international association. The company offers its clients turnkey services, regardless of the transportation routes, be it China -> Europe, Central Asia -> Azerbaijan, Turkey -> Central Asia, etc.

Alliance Multimodal makes a significant contribution to the development of the Middle Corridor infrastructure, increasing cargo flow and strengthening Azerbaijan’s position as a key transit hub in the Eurasian space.”
“Then during the meeting the plan for cargo transportation along the Middle Corridor and the plan for its implementation for the current year were approved.

According to the Association members, the volume of cargo transportation through the seaports of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan in 2024 amounted to 3.3 million tons of cargo, which is 20% more than in 2023. The container transportation indicator amounted to 56.5 thousand in twenty-foot equivalent (TEU), which is 176% more than in 2023.

The number of container trains sent from China in 2024 increased by 33 times compared to 2023.

The plan for cargo transportation along the Middle Corridor for 2025 provides for a volume of 2.5 million tons, including 96 thousand containers in twenty-foot equivalent.”
“During the meeting, it was also announced that the Association will open a Representative Office in the Chinese city of Xi’an. The Association expects that this will open up new opportunities for the development of cargo transportation along the TMTR route and increase the efficiency of interaction with Chinese companies.

Particular attention was paid to increasing freight traffic along the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line from 1 million tons to 5 million tons per year and resuming cargo operations on this line.”
At the end, a ceremony was held to sign the minutes of the meeting, the agreements “On the organization of feeder service between the ports of the Caspian Sea” and “On ensuring the loading of feeder vessels”.