Central Asia

Global container shipping continues to undergo rapid transformation, opening up new opportunities for shippers, and CF&S is supporting clients through these changes. A significant milestone was the completion of the Sea Legend’s voyage from China to Northern Europe via the Northern Sea Route in just 20 days – significantly faster than traditional routes through the Suez Canal or around the Cape of Good Hope. At the same time, carriers are reassessing their service networks: Interasia Lines, Namsung, OOCL, and Shanghai Jin Jiang have joined the FCS3/SJJ route, while Sinokor has reallocated capacity to the FIX/IFX2/CIE service in partnership with SeaLead, Sinotrans, and T.S. Lines.

The Kostanay freight branch of KTZ – Freight Transportation LLC continues to demonstrate steady growth in container shipment volumes. According to Kenes Dyusekeyev, Head of the Branch’s Logistics Department, during the first 11 months of 2025, 22,905 flatcars with a total weight of 1.377 million tons and 44,552 containers were loaded, forming 704 block trains.

The volume of transit rail traffic on the network of JSC NC Kazakhstan Temir Zholy is demonstrating steady positive dynamics. At the end of 2024, transit amounted to 27.5 million tons, and for the first 11 months of 2025, this figure has already reached 27.9 million tons, exceeding the entire previous year’s total. However, transit remains a relatively small portion of the company’s overall freight turnover.

In January-November 2025, freight traffic volumes on the Kazakhstan Temir Zholy network reached 287.9 ​​million tonnes, a 4% increase compared to the same period last year. This growth was driven by both export routes and the domestic market: export shipments totaled 80.2 million tonnes (+6.5%), while domestic shipments increased to 161.4 million tonnes, up 2.5% year-on-year.

The first meeting of heads of seaports and logistics centers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states was held in Aktau. The event was organized by the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan in fulfillment of the instructions of the Head of State and became an important platform for dialogue between representatives of the transport and logistics industries of the SCO countries.

A discussion of Kazakhstan’s strategic role in developing intermodal transportation and implementing digital solutions to strengthen global logistics links was held in Aktau as part of the Caspian Ports & Logistics 2025 international conference. The event, organized with the support of the Port of Aktau and the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, brought together over 300 participants from Europe and Asia.

At a government meeting, Nurlan Sauranbayev, Minister of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan, stated that the transport sector is demonstrating steady growth and remains a key driver of the national economy. He noted that key industry indicators showed positive dynamics over the first 10 months of 2025.

JSC NC KTZ held an annual technical seminar with the participation of KTZ-Freight Transportation, KTZ-Passenger Locomotives, and Alstom, manufacturer of the KZ8A and KZ4AT series electric locomotives. Participants reviewed the current state of the locomotive fleet and key areas for its future development as part of a long-standing partnership.

Temirzhol Zhondeu LLC is actively implementing a large-scale project to upgrade the Altynkol-Zhetygen railway line. Currently, the roadbed is almost completely completed, 67 switches, and over 30 kilometers of track and sleeper grid have been laid. The project is being implemented according to the approved schedule, with a phased organization of work and the concentration of resources on key sections.

The Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, together with the Union of Transport Workers of Kazakhstan (Kazlogistics), organized a meeting of the Road Transport Subcommittee of the Logistics and Transportation Committee of the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Presidium. The event was held in a hybrid format with representatives of business and government agencies. More than ten government agencies participated in the meeting, including the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, Trade and Integration, Industry and Construction, and the Ministry of National Economy, as well as relevant agencies and industry associations. The international road transport community, led by KazATO President Makhsat Saktaganov, was represented separately, along with delegations from regional chambers of entrepreneurs from 15 regions of the country.