By Bosphorus News Economy Desk
Azerbaijan expects freight transported through the Middle Corridor to reach 5.5 million metric tons in 2026 and 7 million tons in 2027, as rail upgrades increase capacity along the China-Europe route through Türkiye.
The 2026 forecast represents annual growth of 17 percent, an Azerbaijani government official told Reuters. The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, known as the Middle Corridor, runs through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye.
The projection follows the modernization of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, which returned to full-scale operations after work on its Georgian section. Azerbaijan Railways marked the start of the upgraded line's new operational phase at a June 2 ceremony in Akhalkalaki.
Azerbaijan and Türkiye are also seeking faster progress on electricity connections along the same east-west axis.
Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov and Türkiye's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar agreed during talks in Istanbul on August 1 to accelerate the Azerbaijan-Nakhchivan-Türkiye Energy Interconnector and the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Türkiye-Bulgaria Green Energy Corridor.
The ministers reviewed technical studies conducted by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) for the Nakhchivan connection. Azerbaijan's Energy Ministry said the initial transmission of one gigawatt of electricity from Nakhchivan to Türkiye had been assessed as a viable option.
The link could later carry electricity generated in mainland Azerbaijan and Central Asia. The two sides also considered participation by Azerbaijani and Turkish investors, but announced no investment value, construction timetable or commissioning date.
Talks on the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Türkiye-Bulgaria corridor covered its contractual structure, feasibility work and the planned establishment of a joint venture. The project is intended to transmit renewable electricity from the Caspian region through Georgia and Türkiye to Bulgaria and other European markets.
Shahbazov and Bayraktar also discussed possible Turkish cooperation in the separate Caspian-Black Sea-Europe Green Energy Corridor. The meeting did not establish Türkiye as a formal participant in that project.
Bayraktar said in June that Türkiye and Azerbaijan were working to extend their energy partnership beyond oil and natural gas through an electricity corridor modeled on the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline.
The freight and electricity projects remain governed by separate agreements and institutions. Their development along the same route is expanding the Middle Corridor beyond rail transport into a network connecting Caspian and Central Asian trade and electricity flows with Türkiye and Europe.
Sources: Azerbaijan Ministry of Energy, Azerbaijan Railways, Reuters, Türkiye's Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Bosphorus News review and reporting.