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National hotline
According to relevant media reports, recently, the railway companies of Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Georgia signed an agreement to jointly develop a transport corridor.
During his visit to Tashkent, Lasha Abashidze, the chairman of the board of Georgian Railway JSC, signed this agreement aimed at deepening railway transportation cooperation among the three countries with his counterparts from Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.
First, what is the trans-Caspian transport corridor?
The International Transport Corridor across the Caspian Sea (TITR) is a multimodal international transport corridor, starting from China, crossing the Caspian Sea via Kazakhstan, reaching Azerbaijan and Georgia, and extending to Turkey and European countries. This corridor was first launched by Kazakh, Azerbaijani and Georgian railway companies in 2017, aiming at providing an alternative route for goods from China to Europe to avoid Russian.
Traditionally, the classic branch of this corridor passes through Kazakhstan, Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan and Georgia. However, the highlight of the latest agreement is the official entry of Uzbekistan. Why did this landlocked country in Central Asia join this transportation corridor that did not pass through its territory?
The answer lies in another railway that is accelerating construction-China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway.
Second, China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway: the core hub connecting Central Asia and the trans-Caspian Corridor.
On June 6, 2024, China, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine signed an intergovernmental agreement on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Ukraine railway project, and the launching ceremony was held on December 27 of the same year.
This 523-kilometer-long railway starts from Kashgar, Xinjiang, China, passes through Kyrgyzstan and ends in Andijan, Uzbekistan.
Rakhmetov, the first vice chairman of Uzbekistan Railway Company, recently revealed that the construction of China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is accelerating, and the project is expected to be completed about two years ahead of the original planned six-year construction period. This means that around 2028 at the earliest, a railway artery connecting China and Uzbekistan will run through the whole line.
After the completion of this railway, the transportation distance from China to Europe and China to Central Asia and South Caucasus will be shortened by more than 1,000 kilometers.
Third, Uzbekistan's dream of "going to the sea".
As a dual landlocked country, Uzbekistan has historically relied heavily on the railway network of its northern neighbors to access the international market. The construction of China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway will completely change this pattern.Uzbekistan's Ministry of Communications told the media: "As a landlocked country, the cooperation between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan is of vital significance in ensuring its entry into the global market." In fact, the relationship between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan has rapidly warmed up in recent years, and the two countries concluded a treaty of alliance in August 2024.Through the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway, goods from China can directly enter Uzbekistan, and then there are two options: one is to cross the Caspian Sea northward via Aktau Port in Kazakhstan; The second is to cross the Caspian Sea southward via Bashi Port in Turkmenistan. No matter which route you choose, you will eventually reach Baku port in Azerbaijan, and then pass through Georgia's railway network to Turkey and Europe.This "multi-path selection" not only increases the flexibility of transportation, but also disperses the pressure of traditional routes.
Fourth, the strategic layout of China and the deepening of the Belt and Road Initiative.
In 2023, China officially announced its participation in the construction of an international transport corridor across the Caspian Sea. In November, 2025, the second China-Europe International Cooperation Forum was held in Xi 'an, and 111 practical cooperation achievements were formed, including the cooperation agreement on improving the capacity of trans-Caspian international transportation lines.
The data shows that the South Banlietong Road in Central Europe is growing rapidly. China Railway Container Company has also joined the Intermediate Corridor Company to promote the construction of the South China-Europe Banlietong Road.
Fifth, the "shallow water" problem of Caspian Sea in 2005.
The average depth of the Caspian Sea is only 180 meters, and the northern area is only 5-6 meters deep, so the passage of large cargo ships is seriously limited. The lack of water depth has long restricted the transportation capacity and efficiency of this alternative route.
To this end, relevant countries are taking active actions. Couric Port and Aketao Port have been dredged, with the goal of increasing the water depth to 5 meters and ensuring navigation throughout the year. The EU also provided financial support, including 10.4 million euros for the modernization of Aktau Port.
At the same time, the upgrading of infrastructure along the line is also going on simultaneously. Azerbaijan Railway Company has completed the restoration and modernization of the 184-kilometer section of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway in Georgia, increasing the annual freight capacity of the line from 1 million tons to 5 million tons.
Sixth, the new pattern of 06 regional cooperation.
The entry of Uzbekistan also reflects the new changes in the pattern of cooperation in Central Asia. At the Seventh Consultation Meeting of Central Asian Heads of State held in Tashkent in November 2025, leaders of all countries unanimously agreed to support Azerbaijan to join the Central Asian cooperation mechanism as a full member. This decision broke the traditional geographical boundaries and linked Central Asia and the South Caucasus more closely.
Uzbek President Mirziyoyev said at the meeting: "Under the background of the increasingly complex international situation, Central Asian countries need to unite and cooperate more to better meet the challenges of security and development." Azerbaijan's President Aliyev pointed out that with the continuous growth of the trans-Caspian international transport corridor, Azerbaijan is gradually improving the infrastructure such as ports, railways and airports to create conditions for deepening logistics and transportation cooperation.
Seventh, from "alternative option" to "main channel".
EU Commissioner Marta Coase pointed out at the recent trans-Caspian Transport Corridor Forum: "From 2022 to now, the freight volume of the central corridor has increased fourfold. If the right investment is made to increase transportation capacity and make up for the gap, this number may triple again by 2030. "
This prediction is not groundless. With the completion of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway, the completion of the dredging project in the Caspian Sea port and the deepening of cooperation among countries along the route, the competitiveness of the trans-Caspian transport corridor will be significantly improved. At present, it takes about 15 days to transport goods from China to Europe through this corridor. Although it is slightly longer than the northern corridor passing through Russia, it is significantly shorter than the traditional 30-40 days by sea.
More importantly, this corridor provides geopolitical "safe haven" value. Under the background of global supply chain reorganization and complex and changeable regional security situation, it is of great strategic significance for European and Asian countries to have reliable trade channels that do not pass through conflict areas.
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