CAREC Corridors
Connecting CAREC: A Corridor Network
The six CAREC corridors link the region’s key economic hubs to each other, and connect the landlocked CAREC countries to other Eurasian and global markets. The strategic framework for the CAREC Transport Program lays out the next phase of priority investments in transport infrastructure along the corridors.
CAREC Corridor 1: Europe–East Asia
CAREC Corridor 2: Europe–Mediterranean–East Asia
CAREC Corridor 3: Russian Federation–Middle East and South Asia
CAREC Corridor 4: Russian Federation–East Asia
CAREC Corridor 5: East Asia–Middle East and South Asia
CAREC Corridor 6: Europe–Middle East and South Asia
CAREC Designated Rail Corridors
The CAREC Transport and Trade Facilitation Strategy (TTFS 2020) presented an investment plan in upgrading all six transport corridors to international standards. Under the 2020 strategy, goals of 7,800 kilometers (km) of CAREC corridor roads and 1,800 km of rail track built were achieved in 2017. Corridors 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 remain as defined by the TTFS 2020 in 2013. Corridor 2 was revised in 2017 after Georgia joined the CAREC program. The corridor extension to Georgia expands the CAREC multimodal network connectivity to the Black Sea ports and to the land border with Turkey.
As people and goods move faster and more efficiently through the corridors, significant improvements are seen in trade between the CAREC countries, with other regions, and in transit trade. Increased trade, in turn, supports business development, creates jobs, and brings a better quality of life to the people of the region.
The new CAREC Transport Strategy 2030 builds on progress made and lessons learned from TTFS 2020. It links to the overall CAREC 2030 program in the areas of enhanced connectivity and sustainability. The Transport Strategy will be implemented in conjunction with the CAREC Integrated Trade Agenda 2030 – each strategic program is now more strongly aligned to the CAREC 2030 goals. The Transport Strategy 2030 will emphasize increasing sustainability and quality of the CAREC transport network, in addition to construction and rehabilitation of new transport links. Going forward, more emphasis will be placed on the multimodal connectivity, road asset management, road safety, and performance-based maintenance pillars.
The new strategy will facilitate more innovative financing for increasingly large and complex projects of regional importance that enhance the CAREC mission to establish a regional cooperation platform to connect people, policies, and projects for shared and sustainable development.