With the introduction of a new rail route that aims to connect China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey; China and Kazakhstan are working to more than double containerised cargo from 100,000 to 250,000 TEU that is bound for Europe, according to the Journal of Commerce.
In a previous article, PTI detailed that the Port of Sydney, Australia, is a port that is working on improving rail connections with its US$1.5 billion rail terminal.
As ports continue to brainstorm new ways in which to combat increasing vessel sizes calling at their terminals, improving rail infrastructure is becoming a trend across the world.
Askar Mamin, Head of the Kazakhstan Temir, the national railway company of Kazakhstan, said the growing cooperation between Kazakhstan and China since 2012 has increased container traffic moving to Europe from China via Kazakhstan twelvefold.
The plans for this new trade route could be hindered by the recent stock market crash in China, where the effects could potentially be seen across the supply chain and dampen productivity and investment.
The repercussions of the crash remain ambiguous at present since the stock market crash is expected to have indirect implications on global trade and will affect China domestically more than its international trade.
