The relevant ministries of three countries have signed a memorandum on jointly studying the Kazakhstan — Uzbekistan — Afghanistan — Pakistan (CASA) railway route with access to Pakistani seaports, infohub.kz reports.
According to the press service of the Kazakh government, the parties to the agreement are the transport ministries of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, along with the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure of the United Arab Emirates.
The project envisages the creation of a new railway link between Central and South Asia. It is intended to expand opportunities for international freight, trade, logistics and investment cooperation.
Under the memorandum, the parties plan to carry out technical and economic studies, prepare analytical assessments and examine the feasibility of developing the necessary railway infrastructure and related facilities.
The government noted that Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have well-developed railway infrastructure and significant transit potential. The United Arab Emirates, for its part, has international expertise in transport infrastructure, logistics and the delivery of large investment projects. The parties intend to use these capabilities to work through the CASA project in practical terms and identify mechanisms for its implementation.
The participants also discussed further steps and areas of joint work. In particular, the creation of a working group is under consideration to conduct a comprehensive review of the project's technical, economic and financial issues.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that in June 2026 Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin supported the development of the CASA corridor during talks in Kabul. It could carry up to 10 million tonnes of cargo toward the Pakistani ports of Karachi and Gwadar.