President of Kazakhstan ordered to double the capacity of the railroad portion of North-South corridor
In the medium term, the volume of transportation along this corridor could increase fivefold
The international corridor "North-South" provides Kazakhstan with access to the Persian Gulf ports. Incrementally, the capacity of the railroad portion of this route should be doubled. It is necessary to start the modernization of the Kazakhstan section of the "Bolashak-Chelyabinsk" railway line, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in his State of the Nation Address. The transcript of the address is published on the official website of the President.
According to the President, realizing the full potential of transport and logistics is of strategic importance. He emphasized that trade flows from China to Europe, Russia, Central Asia, and back are expected to grow rapidly. “Kazakhstan is at the crossroads of the global North and South, as well as the West and East. This presents a significant advantage that opens up wide prospects for us. The transportation and logistics industry should become a cornerstone of the country's economic development… First and foremost, we should implement several major railway projects, such as "Dostyk – Moyinty," "Bakhty – Ayagoz," "Darbaza – Maktaaral," and the Almaty bypass line,” said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The President of Kazakhstan said that the country would continue its cooperation with Russia and China in the transportation sector. According to him, the Trans-Caspian route will play an important role in strengthening the country’s transit potential. “In the medium term, the volume of transportation along this corridor could increase fivefold. To accomplish this, coordinated efforts with partner countries—China, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey—are necessary,” he added.
“A new dry port is slated for construction at the "Bakhty" crossing point. Steps will be taken to accelerate the construction of a container hub in Aktau and to expand port capacity in the Black Sea along the Middle Corridor. Construction of Kazakh terminals in the Chinese city of Xi'an and the Georgian port of Poti has already begun. These are tangible examples of how the Chinese "Belt and Road" megaproject can synergize with our national initiatives… Furthermore, we need a comprehensive plan for developing maritime infrastructure, wherein the port of Kuryk will play a designated role. It should evolve into a full-fledged logistics cluster akin to Aktau,” said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
