Central Asia

According to the results of January–March 2026, the transport sector of the Republic of Kazakhstan demonstrated stable positive dynamics. The physical volume index amounted to 112.8%, and the volume of services rendered increased to 2.9 trillion tenge, compared to 2.4 trillion tenge for the same period last year. During this period, 239.8 million tons of freight were transported within the country, an 8% increase year-on-year, while passenger traffic increased by 9.3%, reaching 483.7 million passengers.

A working meeting between Talgat Aldybergenov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, and Alan Beroud, CEO of Polish State Railways and Chairman of the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies, took place at the Kazakhstan Temir Zholy building. The talks were held as part of the anniversary events of the Organisation for Cooperation between Railways and focused on developing bilateral cooperation and strengthening ties within the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.

In Astana, on the sidelines of a meeting of the Organization for Cooperation of Railways, a working meeting took place between Talgat Aldybergenov, Chairman of the Management Board of KTZ, and Sahebzada Mawlawi Muhammad Ishaq, Afghanistan’s Deputy Minister of Public Works for Railway Transport. The parties discussed prospects for bilateral cooperation in the fields of freight transportation and infrastructure development.

Chinese shipbuilding companies have unveiled the world’s largest container ship featuring a fully electric propulsion system. Designed to carry 742 TEU, the new vessel marks a significant step forward in the development of eco-friendly fleets for coastal shipping.

OOCL has announced the launch of a new service, the China Indonesia Service (CIS3), which will strengthen the coverage of the carrier’s intra-Asia network and enhance connectivity between ports in South China and key ports in Indonesia.

At a government meeting, Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov noted the positive dynamics in the transport sector, emphasizing the need for further systematic expansion of rail network capacity. He stated that the key objective remains the implementation of major strategic projects aimed at modernizing infrastructure.

At a meeting of the Public Council at Samruk-Kazyna, the implementation of artificial intelligence technologies in portfolio companies was reviewed, with a focus on logistics and projects of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy National Company. This work is being carried out in accordance with the President’s directive of April 30, 2024, to integrate basic AI elements into the real sector. Sixty-two AI projects are already being implemented in the energy, oil and gas, transport, and telecommunications sectors, with the key goal of increasing efficiency, operational transparency, and reducing losses.

A delegation from Port Kuryk LLP, led by CEO Erkin Nygmetov, visited the Port of Shanghai to study best practices in port infrastructure development and digital transformation. The main goal of the visit was to learn about modern approaches to terminal management and the integration of digital solutions into logistics processes.

In January-February 2026, container rail traffic between China and the EU reached 352,000 TEU, a 25% increase compared to the same period in 2025. The number of freight trains on China-Europe routes increased by 32% during this period, reaching 3,501 trips.

A meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) was held in Shymkent under Kazakhstan’s chairmanship. Key topics included the digitalization of logistics and the implementation of artificial intelligence technologies in the transportation process. Participants focused on improving the efficiency of freight transportation and unlocking the union’s transit potential across Eurasia.