China officially joined the Middle Corridor, which was announced in September 2024 at the 8th International Silk Road Expo in Xi’an. The participation of China Railway Container Transport Corporation (CRTC) plays an important role in this process. This move reflects China’s strategy to reduce its dependence on sea routes passing through geopolitically unstable areas such as the Strait of Malacca.
DHL Supply Chain has extended its cooperation with Volkswagen Slovakia for five years, strengthening its position in automotive logistics. The partnership, which began in 2010, has successfully passed the selection process and received a new contract to service the Volkswagen plant in Bratislava.
A new round of applications for funding for transport projects under the EU Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme has opened. €2.5 billion is being allocated for the development and modernisation of transport infrastructure in EU countries, as well as Ukraine and Moldova. The funds are expected to help expand the trans-European transport network (TEN-T).
A consultative meeting of heads of railway administrations dedicated to the creation of the International Association “Eurasian Transport Route” (ETR) was held in Baku. It was attended by representatives of railway departments of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China and Austria. The main topic of discussion was the creation of the structure of the new organization, working groups, as well as issues of route digitalization, commerce and logistics.
The РТС Holding office in Astana was visited by a delegation of the South Korean transport and logistics company LX Pantos, headed by President Lee Yong-ho. LX Pantos is part of the LG Group conglomerate and annually transports more than 1.5 million TEU of cargo by sea and more than 120 thousand tons by air. The company’s sales in 2023 amounted to 5.3 billion US dollars. The visit to Astana was the first for the company’s management and was aimed at establishing cooperation with РТС Holding.
The first meeting of the Working Group on Freight Transportation along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) was held at the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan with the participation of representatives of Kazakhstan and China. At the meeting, the parties discussed the projected volumes of freight traffic from China to Europe and back until 2029, with the aim of increasing the number of container trains on the route. In 2025-2026, it is planned to launch up to 600 trains per year, with a subsequent increase to 2,000 trains by 2029.
Rhenus has officially opened a sustainability-focused innovation center for steel processing at the Port of Dortmund. A symbolic ribbon was cut at the opening ceremony, which was attended by Oliver Krischer, Minister of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport of North Rhine-Westphalia.
In Astana, a meeting was held between Vice Minister of Transport Satzhan Ablaliyev and representatives of the Hungarian companies L.A.C. Holding Zrt. and CR CargoHolding SE, where they discussed the prospects for bilateral cooperation. Particular attention was paid to the possibilities of implementing investment projects, including the construction of intermodal terminals of Kazakhstan in Europe.
In the first eight months of 2024, transit along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) increased 20-fold compared to last year. These impressive results were announced at a meeting of the management of JSC NC Kazakhstan Temir Zholy with Zhao Gang, Governor of the Chinese province of Shaanxi, in Xi’an as part of a forum dedicated to the TITR.
In the first eight months of 2024, the volume of container transportation reached 1.4 million TEU, which is 1% more than in the same period last year. The total weight of transported cargo was 13.3 million tons, which is 8% higher than in 2023. At the same time, the transportation of loaded containers increased by 6% to 1.2 million TEU, while the volume of empty containers decreased by 26% and amounted to 0.2 million TEU. The bulk of container transportation was accounted for by transit traffic – 916.1 thousand TEU (+6%), while the China/Asia – Europe – China/Asia route demonstrated growth of 16%.
