Kazakhstan is exploring the expansion of its transport links through the CASA (Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan) railway project, which aims to connect to Pakistani seaports, Trend News Agency reported. Speaking at a ceremony marking Republic Day, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated that the construction and modernization of seaports, railway stations, airports, bridges, and border infrastructure remain ongoing strategic priorities.
On September 30, the ministries of transport of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan signed a memorandum of cooperation on the CASA corridor project with the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. The signatories intend to conduct technical and economic feasibility studies to assess the required rail infrastructure, while also weighing the formation of a joint working group to evaluate economic, technical, and financing conditions.
Under the proposed framework, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan would deploy their rail infrastructure and transit capacity, while the UAE would offer its experience in logistics, major investment project execution, and transport infrastructure development.
According to Trend News Agency, implementation timelines and total project costs for the CASA corridor have not yet been determined. The corridor's long-term progress depends on economic feasibility, cargo availability, financing, transit conditions, security along the Afghan segment, and unified transportation agreements among all transit countries.
Sources
- Trend News Agency · 2026-10-26
