Measures to stimulate connections

In the context of increasing economic fragmentation, transport infrastructure is no longer viewed solely as a tool for logistics and trade. It increasingly serves as a mechanism for diversifying foreign economic relations and a factor in determining the political stability of international supply chains. Against this backdrop, interest is growing in alternative routes capable of connecting Europe and Asia beyond traditional transit links.

One of these is the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), or Middle Corridor, which operates within the broader framework of the international transport corridor TRACECA (Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia). In recent years, these initiatives have acquired new significance in the context of changes in the global trade architecture and growing competition between major infrastructure projects. Their development is supported by a number of international initiatives and programs aimed at strengthening transport connectivity in Eurasia.

The growing interest in the TITR/TRACECA corridor in recent years is reflected in cargo traffic volumes. In 2022, volumes increased by 153% (from 586,000 tons in 2021 to 1,485,000 tons) and have since remained in a moderate growth zone. The exception is 2025, when 1,867,000 tons of cargo were transported along the TITR, 10,000 tons less than the 2024 figure.

Source: TITR International Association

Nevertheless, over the next five years, the corridor is expected to show steady, albeit slowing, growth. Furthermore, after moderate fluctuations in 2017–2023, container traffic along the corridor increased sharply in 2024 to 56,000 TEUs, and reached 76,900 TEUs in 2025.

Source: TITR International Association

The China–Europe–China route is growing dynamically, with traffic volumes jumping to 36,200 TEUs in 2024 and further increasing to 41,500 TEUs in 2025, following a decline in 2023.

Source: compiled by the authors

This review examines the TITR/TRACECA corridor, which brings together various initiatives to build onto existing and institutionally established routes between the EU and China through the Black Sea, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia. This unification is possible due to the overlapping geography of the TITR route and the TRACECA program, as well as the presence of a common stakeholder, the EU, which is investing significantly in the development of these corridors. While TITR is an international transport corridor with a coordinating body and a unified tariff policy, TRACECA is an institutional program and framework for coordinating the efforts of several parties and reducing transaction barriers to interaction.

The review contains a description of the support measures for the TITR/TRACECA corridor, sources and areas of funding, as well as current and planned investment initiatives aimed at increasing the capacity and efficiency of the corridor.

A multi-tiered support system has been established to support the corridor, in which resources from international financial institutions, European programs, national budgets, and private capital complement each other. Among the financial instruments, loans from international development banks predominate, effectively transforming investment support into a mechanism for the structural transformation of the transport industries of the corridor countries. This financing is accompanied by requirements for reforming industry regulations, implementing modern corporate governance standards, and strengthening the financial stability of infrastructure operators.