Operations along this corridor will be further streamlined following Kyrgyzstan’s accession to the UN Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Rail (URL1), which aims to increase efficiency and certainty of rail freight transport between Europe and Asia.
Over the past seven years, shipments along the Middle Corridor have already increased nearly fivefold, from 0.8 million tons to 4.5 million tons per year. Significant growth is also observed in the container segment. In 2025, approximately 77,000 TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit) were transported along the route, and this figure is expected to increase to 300,000 TEUs by 2029. About 1.9 million TEUs are carried over between China to Europe. For much of this, URL1 will mean monetary savings and reduced transit time.
It is estimated that URL1 could reduce average transit time by more than 10%, as well as at least USD 500 in direct costs per container transported.
With Kyrgyzstan now the first Party to the Convention, other signatories including China, Germany, Netherlands and Togo, are working towards Ratification. Once five countries have ratified the Convention, it will officially enter into force.
Meanwhile, UNECE is starting work with member States and the railway sector to operationalize the Convention and make sure all the elements are ready for an effective application.
Advantages of URL Convention
The URL Convention establishes a uniform international legal framework for rail freight transport, which is currently governed by two international regimes — one overseen by the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF) in Western Europe, and the other by the Organization for Cooperation between Railways (OSJD) in Eastern Europe and Asia.
In practical terms, this means avoiding frequent transfers of consignment notes from the two legal systems, which raise additional costs and delays in transporting goods. The Convention acts as a bridge between the two systems, creating one legal regime, one contract of carriage, one consignment note, one liability regime, hence one global system.
The Convention was adopted by the UNECE Working Party on Rail Transport in November 2023 and is open for accession by all UN members.
