In mid-February 2026, KTZ Express – a freight traffic operator and subsidiary of the “KTZ NC” JSC – launched a pilot shipment of grain (rice) to Belgium via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR). The cargo travelled by rail from Kyzylorda to the port of Aktau and from the western coast of the Caspian Sea to the Georgian port of Poti, then by sea across the Caspian Sea and, finally, between the ports of Poti and Antwerp. The final transport stage is being carried out with assistance from the international shipping company CMA CGM. The time of transportation has amounted to nearly 30 days.

Previously, the freight railway traffic between these countries was organised in transit through Russia, Belarus, Poland, and Germany. The operator noted that the supplies using the new route are more cost-effective with comparable transit times ensured.

In 2025, the grain export volumes from Kazakhstan by rail amounted to 11 million tonnes, which is 33 % more than in the previous year. Of this, 800,000 tonnes were shipped to the Baltic states (a six-fold increase), while freight flows through the Black Sea and Baltic ports rose by 49 % and 76 % respectively.