Kuryk: after bridge upgrades rail ferries take up to 50 wagons (+20%)

Port Kuryk has completed a major upgrade of its PPM-1 and PPM-2 liftable transfer bridges, World Ports Organization reported on 16 October 2026, citing a joint project by Port Kuryk LLP and Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport. The work covered hydraulic structures, bridge geometry and coupling mechanisms linking shore infrastructure to vessel decks.

After the upgrade, rail ferries can carry up to 50 railcars per voyage versus 40 previously — a 20% capacity gain without extra vessels. Rail-ferry handling fell from 18 to 12 hours, and vehicle-ferry turnaround from 10 to six hours. Faster cycles cut berth waiting and let the port move more cargo on the existing ferry fleet.

For the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR / Middle Corridor) this eases a bottleneck on the Kuryk–Alat leg for grain, petroleum products, chemicals and fertilisers, and for multimodal chains where wagon blocks meet ferry sailings. For project and oversized consignments, predictable slots and apron timing matter as much as tonnage.

Source: World Ports Organization, 16 October 2026.