The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), also known as the Middle Corridor, has gained attention as an alternative Asia–Europe freight pathway. It links Central Asia, the Caucasus and Turkey using a combination of rail and maritime segments. Its attractiveness has increased due to changing geopolitical and operational dynamics affecting other routes.
A significant new development along this wider logistics ecosystem is the start of commercial operations at Railport, an intermodal terminal located in Kartepe, Kocaeli, near Istanbul.
Railport was developed with an investment reported as approximately US$300 million, and is a joint venture between duisport (Germany’s inland port operator) and Arkas Holding (Turkey). The terminal is designed to handle containerised freight, trailers, general cargo, and finished vehicles. Its launch represents a notable addition to Turkey’s intermodal infrastructure at the junction of European and Asian freight networks.
Railport’s Role and Location
Railport functions as an inland terminal positioned in one of Turkey’s major industrial regions. Its location provides access to road networks, nearby ports, and rail connections linking to both domestic destinations and onward European corridors via Istanbul.
According to publicly available information, Railport’s design includes:
- Container handling capacity: up to 360,000 TEU per year
- General cargo handling capacity: up to 1.5 million tonnes per year
- Finished vehicle handling capacity: up to 122,000 CEU per year
- Trailer handling: up to 125,000 units per year
The terminal is built to support intermodal transfer between rail and road, enabling consolidation, storage, and dispatch of freight moving through Turkey.
Start of Commercial Operations
In November 2025, METRANS (a European intermodal rail operator) launched a block-train service from Railport to Central Europe. This marks the first documented commercial train departure from the new facility.
The service establishes a direct operational connection between Railport and METRANS’ European terminal network via Slovakia. This confirms that the terminal is fully functional and integrated into international routing options.
Context: Middle Corridor Connectivity
The Middle Corridor involves the following segments:
- Rail services across China and Kazakhstan
- Maritime crossing of the Caspian Sea
- Rail through Azerbaijan and Georgia
- Entry into Turkey
- Access to European rail corridors
Railport is geographically positioned near the western end of this chain. It serves as an intermodal node for freight entering or leaving Turkey, including cargo arriving from the BTK (Baku–Tbilisi–Kars) railway and internal Turkish freight movements.
This article does not make claims about future volumes, growth projections, or expected performance of the corridor—only that Railport is a new operational asset within the broader logistics environment through which Middle Corridor freight may pass.
