Middle Corridor Could Add $58 Billion to Regional GDP by 2040, World Bank Says

The Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, also known as the Middle Corridor, could increase the combined GDP of countries along the route by 3.3% and generate around two million jobs by 2040, according to a World Bank report presented in Astana on Oct. 15. The gains depend on governments investing in infrastructure and improving cross-border coordination.

Andrei Mikhnev, World Bank country manager for Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, said the corridor is more than a transit route and can help Central Asian countries connect with global markets and diversify their economies. The report projects total freight volumes could rise from about 9 million metric tons in 2023 to nearly 24 million by 2040 without additional investment, and 32 million with it.

The World Bank identified 16 critical bottlenecks, with an estimated cost of around $25 billion to address them. It proposes a framework called TARS to improve cross-border cooperation, along with a single digital Transport, Transit and Trade document.