The Observatory of Eurasian Transport Network projects is an analytical tool for monitoring the development of transport corridors across the Eurasian region. It combines a database of infrastructure projects with a geo-information system, and covers 13 countries, including projects financed or/and implemented by China in Central Asia. Data are collected from public sources, including national and international development programmes, sector reports, and other available information (bottom-up approach).
In 2026, the Observatory was updated with new transport corridor projects and expanded to include airport infrastructure, the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor, and high-speed rail (HSR) projects. As of 1 July 2026, it contains 402 ongoing and planned projects with a total investment value of $345bn.
During 2025 and early 2026, transport infrastructure projects worth more than $10 billion were completed across Eurasia, including around $6 billion in Central Asia. Major completed projects include the modernised Dostyk—Moyinty railway in Kazakhstan, the Ashgabat—Mary—Turkmenabat motorway, as well as the International North—South Transport Corridor (INSTC) road section Turkmenbashi—Garabogaz— Kazakh border in Turkmenistan, the tunnel at the Kök-Art Pass on the alternative «North—South» motorway in Kyrgyzstan, sections of the Obigarm—Nurobod road in Tajikistan, and the electrified Bukhara—Urgench—Khiva railway in Uzbekistan.
Road projects account for 51.7% of all projects. Russia represents 49.3% of projects and 65.3% of total investment, equivalent to $225bn. Eight of the ten largest projects in the Observatory are located in Russia.
The Northern Eurasian Corridor is the largest investment area, attracting $84.8bn. Investment in the INSTC totals $50.3bn, excluding the Moscow—St. Petersburg HSR project.
By investment value, 62% of projects are under implementation, 9% are in the documentation stage, and 29% remain in planning.
Central Asia accounts for more than $71.7bn (21%) of planned and ongoing investment across 114 projects. Kazakhstan receives over 45% of regional investment. Roads account for 56% of investment in Central Asia, while rail projects account for nearly 30%.
The TRACECA corridor, including the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (or Middle Corridor), attracts $42.8bn, making it the region’s largest investment destination. The ten largest projects account for 42% of all transport infrastructure investment in Central Asia.
Many landlocked and mountainous countries face particularly high infrastructure costs relative to GDP, creating significant financing challenges.
Large-scale transport projects require substantial funding, which can be generated either from public sources (national budgets) or from borrowed funds. A shortage of funds, primarily from national budgets, means that many major national and regional projects cannot be implemented simultaneously. The Observatory contains information on several major projects that have long been in the planning stage. The three main sources of external funding include sovereign loans, non- sovereign loans and PPP models, including cross-border PPPs. For smaller states, PPP projects that are structured so as not to place a significant burden on the national budget are particularly attractive. At the same time, there remains a high need to secure sovereign financing from international development institutions to implement road and rail construction and modernisation projects of significant socio-economic importance. In this regard, the Observatory can be used to prioritise projects in the interests of all countries in the Eurasian region.
