Kazakhstan Increases Cargo Transshipment through Caspian Seaports along TITR

As announced by the Kazakh Transport Ministry, the volume of cargo shipped through Kazakhstan’s seaports of Aktau and Kuryk along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) increased by 15% during the first quarter of this year. Cargo transshipment by trucks through the port of Kuryk rose by 34% and by rail containers through the port of Aktau by 27%. The transit of rail containers from China to EU countries through Kazakhstan grew 3.4-fold. To further increase the potential of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, the Ministry of Transport will begin dredging the port of Kuryk from mid-summer to provide sufficient depth for ships to enter the harbor.    

Uzbekistan to Launch New International Bus Routes

Uzbekistan’s Transport Ministry has announced plans to launch ten new international bus routes during this year. The new routes will connect Samarkand and Bukhara with Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek; Bukhara with Kazakhstan’s capital Astana; Samarkand, Bukhara and Shakhrisabz with Turkestan in Kazakhstan; Samarkand and Bukhara with in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe, and Tashkent with Ufa and Krasnodar in Russia. Uzbekistan currently runs 196 buses operated by 32 domestic and foreign companies,on 37 routes to Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. From January-April 2024, 173 thousand passengers travelled on international bus routes, 15% more than during the same period in 2023.