Kazakhstan, located in the central part of the Eurasian continent, has successfully laid a new railway mainline. The Monet Kizilzar Railway has achieved full track connectivity, filling the transportation gap in the middle corridor and opening up a smoother overseas travel path for China Europe freight trains, reshaping the cross-border freight pattern in Central Asia.

Channel to fill gaps

The total length of the Mointzkzilzar Railway is 323.3 kilometers, and it is planned to be put into commercial operation within 2026. It spans the Ultau and Karaganda regions of Kazakhstan, connecting the two major railway hubs. During the peak construction period, nearly 2000 construction personnel were gathered on site, and more than 700 sets of construction machinery and equipment were put into operation. After the opening of the new line, the freight distance has been shortened by 149 kilometers, effectively alleviating the saturation pressure of the original line, improving the speed of container trains, and enhancing the transit transportation carrying capacity of the country.

Previously, the Dostyk Moint railway double track has been completed and put into operation, increasing the transit capacity of the China Kazakhstan border railway by five times. The two lines are linked to form a backbone east-west railway network in central Kazakhstan. The middle corridor starts from China, passes through Kazakhstan, arrives in Azerbaijan via the Caspian Sea ferry, and then connects Georgia and Türkiye to the European road network. It is an important alternative logistics channel for Asia and Europe. By 2025, the container transportation volume of this channel will increase by over 60% year-on-year, and the sustained growth in transportation volume will be constrained by long-term congestion and detours on the route.

New train selection

This railway is a key node project in the middle corridor. After its opening, the China Europe freight train departing from Xinjiang has a better traffic plan within Kazakhstan, shortening the detour distance, dispersing the main line traffic, and enhancing the stability of the entire channel operation. However, this route is only a land-based component of the corridor, and the overall transportation efficiency is still limited by the capacity of the Caspian Sea ports for changing ships and the overseas supporting road network. A single route cannot eliminate all bottlenecks. Keywords: Central Corridor, China Europe Railway Express

The operation of the new line enriches the overseas optional routes of China Europe trains. For the west bound trains at Khorgos Port, Alataw Pass, the optimization of the overseas road network will change the path planning, optimize the transportation costs, help disperse the supply chain risks, and add new support for China's opening up to the west.Editor/Min Jing