THE WEST EUROPE – WEST CHINA TRANSIT CORRIDOR BECOMES A NATIONAL PROJECT

Astana, September 11:  President Nazarbayev declared the West Europe – West China transit corridor a national project during a visit to Aktobe in Northern Kazakhstan.

The President attended a launch ceremony for the project. “Currently, freight from the Far East goes to Europe through China and by sea,” President Nazarbayev said. “This new corridor will shorten the distance by three and a half times. As a consequence, within the next ten years, freight traffic across Kazakhstan will grow two and a half times. We are grateful to the World Bank, the EBRD and the Asian Development Bank which have allocated a total of over USD 3 billion”, the President said. 

With an overall length across Kazakhstan totaling 2,787 km, 25,000 people will work on the corridor’s construction and, on completion, the project will employ 50,000 people. The road will cover five oblasts (provinces) of Kazakhstan - providing employment opportunities right across the country and boosting economic growth in the regions.

“We will soon be able to save lives [many have died in vehicle crashes due to the unsatisfactory state of the roads which are currently used] and, importantly, Kazakhstan will become a transit country”, the President noted.