Central Asia

From 1 September, a new regular DDS service will start operating between Duisburg Intermodal Terminal (DIT) in Germany and Lille Dourges Conteneur Terminal (LDCT) in France. The train will run three times a week on a fixed schedule. Additional French destinations will open via Dourges – Fos-sur-Mer, Lyon, Marseille, Mirama, Mouguère, Paris, Perpignan and Rennes. In addition, a connection to London is planned to be launched in January. In Duisburg, connections are available to routes to Poland, the Czech Republic and China.

Rhenus Group has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the national railway company Kyrgyz Temir Zholu. The document was signed during the German-Kyrgyz Economic Forum in Cholpon-Ata and is aimed at developing freight transport and logistics in Central Asia. The main focus is on strengthening the transit role of Kyrgyzstan, creating logistics centers and attracting new freight flows.

The first dedicated DPD container train for La Poste departed from Chengdu, China, to Antwerp, Belgium. It consists of 55 containers with cross-border e-commerce goods and products requiring cold chain compliance. The route runs through Kazakhstan (Altynkol checkpoint), Russia, Belarus, Poland and Germany.

Chairman of the Board of JSC Samruk-Kazyna Nurlan Zhakupov reported at a government meeting on the implementation of projects to develop the country’s transport and logistics potential and transform JSC KTZ into a full-fledged transnational multimodal company. According to him, the delivery of goods from Shanghai to Rotterdam via Kazakhstan takes no more than 16 days compared to 60 days by sea through the Suez Canal, and about 85% of all cargo traffic between China and the EU passes along this route.

NAFITH International Group and Kuryk Port Development (Kazakhstan) signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at developing digital solutions for road transport within the Middle Corridor. The signing took place during the visit of King Abdullah II of Jordan to Kazakhstan.

Chairman of the Board of JSC NC Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) Talgat Aldybergenov reported on the implementation of large-scale infrastructure projects at a government meeting. In particular, the construction of the 360 ​​km long Moiynty-Kyzylzhar line has begun, and in July a contract was signed for the construction of the 272 km long Bakhty-Ayagoz line.

Alstom has signed a contract in Romania for the modernization of the historic Bucharest-Giurgiu railway line, opened in 1869. The total value of the project is approximately €450 million, with Alstom’s share being approximately 25%. The project aims to increase capacity, energy efficiency and reliability of the connection.

At a government meeting, Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry Zhaslan Madiyev reported that transport and infrastructure startups are actively developing in Astana Hub. By the end of 2024, their total income exceeded 4.5 billion tenge, and the number of jobs created exceeded 400.

The global market for highly automated smart ports will increase from $2.53 billion in 2025 to $7.95 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 25.8%. According to MarketsandMarkets, the growth is driven by the growth of international trade, the need to reduce emissions and port congestion, and the desire of governments and businesses to improve the efficiency and sustainability of logistics.

The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) will provide a grant of US$275,000 to prepare a preliminary feasibility study for the construction of the Balikchi-Cholpon-Ata railway line in the Issyk-Kul region of Kyrgyzstan. The funds will be allocated from the bank’s technical assistance fund.