Kazakhstan is planning a new route to transit goods between China and Russia. It has identified the Irtysh river, which flows between Russia and China through Kazakhstan’s northeast, as a waterway with potential for a multimodal corridor. Development of the route could see rail freight flow all the way up to the Arctic Sea by 2026.
“We plan to transport cargo along the Irtysh river, from Tomsk to the village of Tugyl on Lake Zaysan, using river vessels,” a Kazakh government official explained. “From there, the cargo will be moved by road or rail to China and back.”
The Irtysh river project is therefore more of an inland shipping plan than a rail plan, but nevertheless carries significance for rail freight flows in the area. The development of a freight port in Tugyl in southeast Kazakhstan and a 100-kilometre railway to China, linking up to the Irtysh river, could open up a whole new transportation route.
Up to 3,6 million tonnes annually
Goods coming in from China could be transported all the way up to the Arctic Sea via the Irtysh and Ob rivers. According to publication Caspian News, between 2 and 2,5 million tonnes of freight may be transported on the route annually. The Times of Central Asia, on the other hand, writes that the route is expected to grow freight volumes by 3,6 million tonnes per year.
Kazakhstan may take the route into use relatively soon. According to the country’s deputy transport minister, it could be completed by 2026. However, Kazakhstan needs to do quite some work before freight heads up north via the Irtysh river. It plans to build a new “hydraulic structure” between the cities of Pavlodar and Semey, develop its barge capacities, build a port in Tugyl and a railway connecting the port to China in Maikapchagai.