Rhenus plans up to 14 terminals to link Asia with European network
A proposed hub in Kazakhstan’s Aktau would connect sea, rail and road transport, with additional annual capacity of at least 150,000 TEU.
German logistics company Rhenus Group is planning up to 14 terminals on the Middle Corridor, with an Aktau container facility among the projects. Kazakhstan’s national railway operator, KTZ, and the Port of Aktau are working with Rhenus on the proposed Caspian Sea hub.
The Aktau site is intended to occupy at least 30 hectares, linking road and rail services with maritime transport. Its planned addition to annual handling capacity is at least 150,000 TEU. A feasibility study and an analysis of traffic flows are the partners’ next steps.
Tobias Bartz, Rhenus Group’s CEO and Chairman of the Management Board, said the company wanted terminals in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Türkiye, connected to its European operations. He said those operations already comprised 23 container ports and around 70 port facilities.
Rhenus bought its first rail terminal in the Almaty region in January 2026. Separately, it intends to invest around €11 million alongside Uzbekistan’s state railway company to modernise a terminal in Andijan. Expected annual throughput there is around 200,000 TEU.
The Middle Corridor also carries the name Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR). Its international association recorded 76,900 TEU of container traffic for 2025, an increase of 36 per cent over 2024. In September, the European Commission announced an aim to mobilise public and private investment of up to €12 billion, seeking threefold trade flows and shorter freight transit times by 2030.
