Kazakhstan, Russia Fast-Track North–South Transport Corridor Plans

Kazakhstan and Russia have held high-level negotiations to accelerate the development of the North-South transport corridor, a strategic infrastructure project aimed at enhancing Kazakhstan’s role as a regional transit hub and strengthening international trade ties.

The meeting took place at the Kazakh-Russian border between Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister of Transport, Maksat Kaliakparov, and Russia’s First Deputy Minister of Transport, Valentin Ivanov, The Caspian Post reports via Kazakh media.

According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport, the talks centered on updating and expediting joint infrastructure plans - particularly the modernization of key automobile checkpoints along the corridor. Both sides agreed to bring forward the timeline for several major projects, moving the projected completion date from 2030-2032 to 2026-2027.

In addition to checkpoint upgrades, the agenda covered a range of pressing issues in international road transport, including cargo logistics, cross-border transit procedures, and the integration of unmanned (autonomous) transport technologies.

The discussions come in the lead-up to the 21st Kazakhstan-Russia Interregional Cooperation Forum, scheduled to be held in Uralsk in early November.