Baku: Azerbaijan is setting ambitious targets to significantly boost the volume of cargo transported through the Middle Corridor, a key trade route connecting China and Europe. “Cargo turnover along the Middle Corridor route is rapidly increasing,” stated Rashad Nabiyev, Minister of Digital Development and Transport, during a panel discussion at the V Tbilisi Silk Way Forum.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, Minister Nabiyev highlighted the substantial growth in container train traffic from China. In 2022, only one or two container trains traversed this route, but the number surged to 18 last year. In the first nine months of the current year, approximately 290 trains have already passed through Azerbaijan, with expectations that 400 container trains will transit by the year’s end.

Minister Nabiyev further explained that the time taken to deliver cargo from the Kazakhstan-China border to Batumi has significantly reduced from 53 days to just 18 days. The overarching goal is to triple the volume of cargo transported through Azerbaijan, enhancing the region’s role as a crucial transit hub.