Kazakhstan has joined regional partners in marking the official launch of the modernized Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway, a key transport corridor expected to boost trade and freight flows among Central Asia, the Caucasus, Türkiye and Europe.

Kazakh Vice Minister of Transport Zhanibek Taizhanov participated in the opening ceremony held at the Akhalkalaki railway station in Georgia on June 2, underscoring Kazakhstan’s growing role in Eurasian transit and logistics networks, The Caspian Post reports via Kazinform.

The BTK railway is a vital component of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), also known as the Middle Corridor. The route links the railway systems of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye, providing Kazakhstan with an important gateway to European and global markets via the Caspian Sea.

The upgraded infrastructure will strengthen Kazakhstan’s transit potential, increase international cargo volumes and improve the efficiency of cross-border logistics chains across Eurasia.

Spanning 827 kilometers, the railway has been operating since 2017. Major modernization work carried out between May 2023 and May 2024 have dramatically expanded its capabilities.

Following the upgrades, the BTK railway’s annual freight capacity has increased fivefold, rising from 1 million tons to 5 million tons per year. The expansion is expected to accelerate the movement of goods along the Middle Corridor at a time when countries across the region are seeking alternative trade routes linking Asia and Europe.

The launch also aligns with Kazakhstan’s broader efforts to modernize transport infrastructure and deepen regional connectivity. Recently, the country announced a new digital system for exchanging international road transport permits with Azerbaijan, Türkiye and Kyrgyzstan, further streamlining trade across key transit corridors.