World Bank: Middle Corridor could add $6.1 billion to Kazakhstan’s GDPDeveloping the Middle Corridor trade route could boost Kazakhstan’s GDP by about $6.1 billion over the long term, a rise of 2.22%, according to a World Bank report.The report, “World-Class Trade Logistics Along the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor,” was presented on Thursday at the eighth New Silk Way international transport and logistics business forum in Astana.It says employment in Kazakhstan could grow by 3.19%. It forecasts that trade by value among the countries involved could rise 50% in 2023-2040, and trade by physical volume 60%.Cargo shipped across the Caspian Sea could rise from 8.8 million tonnes in 2023 to 32.1 million tonnes by 2040, about 3.6 times as much.Handling the growth would require upgrading ports, railways and terminals and easing bottlenecks.The World Bank lists 16 priority infrastructure projects with an estimated total cost of $25.1 billion. Six of them, costing about $4 billion, are already under way in Kazakhstan: the Moiynty-Kyzylzhar railway ($1.4 billion), the Bakhty-Ayagoz railway and a border crossing ($1.2 billion), the Darbaza-Maktaaral railway ($550 million), a railway bypass around Almaty ($315 million), the expansion of Aktau port ($310 million) and the Altynkol-Zhetygen railway ($221 million).The report also proposes another $30.5 billion in investment to stimulate economic activity, including logistics and industrial hubs, terminals, manufacturing zones and digital systems. Together, the investment is estimated at about $55.6 billion.The TITR links China and Europe through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. Cargo on the route totaled about 4.7 million tonnes in 2025 and is expected to reach 5.5 million tonnes in 2026. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX