Rail freight volumes between China and Kazakhstan have reached a new record in 2023. Volumes grew by 22 per cent in comparison to the previous year. In total, volumes amounted to 28 million tonnes.
Representatives of Chinese and Kazakh rail operators presented the new rail freight numbers at a meeting in the Chinese province of Xinjiang, bordering Kazakhstan. The growth of freight volumes comes amid large rail construction works along the so-called ‘Middle Corridor’, which connects China overland to Europe via Central Asia. Parties from both countries indicated the intention to continue large-scale infrastructure projects connecting the two countries.
Infrastructure projects
Kazakhstan is working to increase its throughput capacity by constructing an Almaty station bypass, relieving the station of 40 per cent of freight traffic. The southern Kazakh city also plans to build an entirely new railway station to facilitate freight traffic. Rail capacity to Uzbekistan will also be increased by the construction of a new railway along its border. With financing from the EU, these projects aim to increase throughput capacity by 10 million tonnes annually.
For its part, China has recently been testing high-speed rail freight transportation at an international rail hub in central China. Together, China and Kazakhstan have been working on expanding the capacity of the Khorgos and Dostyk border crossings.
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