The transport sector has become a new growth point for
Kazakhstan’s economy. This was facilitated by the fact that in the new
realities the country has become a connecting link in the road network between
Asia and Europe. To date, road, sea, railway, and air corridors are actively
developing in the country. Large projects also have a positive impact on
increasing Kazakhstan's transit capacity. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called
for the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route as a
priority, as well as the implementation of major railway lines such as Dostyk-Moiynty,
Bakhty-Ayagoz, Darbaza–Maktaaral, and a bypass line around Almaty. Cooperation
also plays an important role.
«Kazakhstan’s transit potential and the Middle Corridor have
garnered significant attention from China and other Southeast Asian countries,
including South Korea, Japan, and Thailand. There is also considerable
potential among the neighbouring countries in Central Asia, such as the Kyrgyz
Republic and Uzbekistan, which can supply substantial products via the
Trans-Caspian International Transport Route,» said Nurlan Kenessov, director of
the Department of Transport Policy, Kazakh Ministry of Transport.
Kazakhstan has invested more than $35 billion in the
transport and logistics sector over the past 15 years. The volume of freight
transport has increased by nearly 30 percent over the past 10 years. The high
demand for warehousing facilities allowed for an increase in their numbers. The
current task is to raise the share of the transport sector in the country’s economy.
«In terms of GDP share, the current share of GDP
stands at 6.1 percent, according to operational data. We aim to achieve a nine
percent share of GDP in transport and warehousing. Regarding freight volumes by
rail and road transport, they amounted to a total of 600 million tonnes last
year, reflecting a growth of 1.5 percent in transit shipments through
Kazakhstan,» Kenessov added.
