Cargo figures reveal a regional trading economy
PMC Research’s September 2026 study puts total transit through Georgia at 13.7 million tonnes in 2025, against a 2024 peak of 15.1 million. Its Middle Corridor series records 4.6 million tonnes in 2025, compared with a 2022 peak of 5.0 million. The study finds that regional trade accounted for much of the corridor’s traffic. East–West movements represented 69.7% of Georgia’s total transit in 2025. [1]
| Measure | Period | Result |
|---|---|---|
| All transit through Georgia | 2025 | 13.7 million tonnes |
| All-transit recent peak | 2024 | 15.1 million tonnes |
| Middle Corridor transit through Georgia | 2025 | 4.6 million tonnes |
| Middle Corridor recent peak | 2022 | 5.0 million tonnes |
| East–West share of total transit | 2025 | 69.7% |
The totals describe different populations of cargo. Port throughput, national transit, railway freight and container movements each measure a different part of the transport business. Our downloadable data table keeps the definitions beside the figures.
For Georgian businesses, regional cargo creates demand close to home: equipment for an inland terminal, repairs for a truck fleet, storage for an Armenian importer or packaging for a Georgian exporter. A supplier can participate in this economy through an established local operator without owning a port or running a train.
Silk Road, Belt and Road and the Middle Corridor describe different things
The modern Silk Road is a broad commercial and diplomatic idea. China’s Belt and Road Initiative is a cooperation framework covering infrastructure and other economic activity. The Middle Corridor describes the transport connections across Central Asia, the Caspian Sea and the South Caucasus towards European markets. The terms often appear together, but each has a different meaning for a business contract.
The 2023 China–Georgia strategic partnership statement includes Belt and Road cooperation and work on transport, railway networks, manufacturing and the Middle Corridor. On 9 June 2026, Georgia’s Foreign Ministry announced that the relationship had been elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership. These are dated policy developments around trade and investment. [3][4]
The World Bank’s earlier corridor study identifies trade among Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Europe as an important source of demand. Its modelling suggested that coordinated investment and efficiency improvements could triple freight volumes and halve travel time by 2030. Those are conditional development scenarios, published in the 2023 study, rather than transport results already achieved in 2026. [2]
China trade and European market access depend on the goods
Georgia’s free trade agreement with China took effect on 1 January 2018. It contains tariff schedules, product-specific origin rules and a certificate-of-origin system. The EU–Georgia DCFTA has its own conditions. A product’s tariff treatment follows the relevant agreement and the manufacturing that gives it origin. [5][6]
For example, a Chinese machine can travel through a Georgian terminal on its way to another market. That transport movement does not turn it into a Georgian-origin machine. Manufacturing in Georgia is a separate commercial proposition: the inputs, processing and finished product determine whether an origin rule is met. This distinction matters to an investor considering an assembly plant, food factory or industrial-zone operation.
Poti, Tbilisi and the railway already support commercial cargo
APM Terminals reports that Poti handled more than 600,000 TEU in 2025. Its port information describes container and bulk handling, rail connections and direct ferry services to Romania. Poti serves Georgian trade and the wider Armenian, Azerbaijani and Central Asian markets. TEU measures container capacity in twenty-foot equivalents. [9]
The Tbilisi Intermodal Hub opened in June 2025. AD Ports Group’s opening announcement describes a first-phase capacity of 96,000 TEU annually. The operator’s current facilities information lists four 600-metre railway spurs and warehouses of 9,800 m² and 2,500 m². These specifications describe the facility; they should be read separately from actual annual cargo handled. [10][11]
Georgian Railway announced completion of its modernization project in December 2025. Together, a working seaport, an upgraded railway and inland handling facilities create places where containers can be transferred, inspected, stored and delivered. Our transport-system article explains the operating network, while the warehouse guide covers premises and dated rent research. [12]
Anaklia’s July 2026 decision changes the investment proposition
The government announced a landlord model for Anaklia on 6 July 2026. Under that model, the state would retain and develop the core maritime and port infrastructure and provide road and rail connections. Private investors and operators would invest in container and bulk terminals. The announcement envisages multiple partners rather than the earlier single-partner structure. [7]
That division identifies two distinct investment markets. Marine works and public connections belong to the infrastructure programme. Terminal equipment, terminal operation and related private facilities belong to the operator and investor side. The announcement establishes the intended model; it does not by itself establish a completed terminal, an awarded concession or operating cargo revenue.
The 2026 transport programme reaches beyond the port
On 2 June 2026, the World Bank announced approval of USD 372 million for TC-GATE, the Georgia Accessibility and Transport Enhancement project. The programme includes electric locomotives, railway operating improvements and road works in Kakheti. The Bank identifies Badiauri–Chalaubani–Bakurtsikhe sections and a connection between Gurjaani and Telavi. Its expected benefits include better freight reliability and shorter journeys between agricultural areas and Poti. [8]
The project connects freight investment with the productive economy. A fruit processor in eastern Georgia needs access to buyers and export logistics; a logistics operator needs reliable locomotives and road connections. Suppliers of rolling-stock components, civil works, engineering, maintenance and digital systems serve different customers within that investment programme. Contract opportunities arise through the relevant procurement and commercial arrangements.
Common transit simplifies a border procedure
Georgia joined the Common Transit Convention on 1 February 2025. The system supports goods moving between participating countries through shared transit rules and guarantees. It is a customs development that matters to freight forwarders, carriers and businesses moving stock across several borders. [13]
Transit and local import remain different transactions. Goods delivered into the Georgian market need the documents and treatment applicable to that import. Food, machinery and consumer products can also have product-specific requirements. The registration and import guide explains the Georgian transaction, while the market map identifies businesses already active in the country.
Where the corridor meets Georgian customers
Freight passing through a country and goods bought within it create overlapping businesses. Poti handles regional cargo; Tbilisi combines inland logistics with the largest concentration of corporate purchasing. Rustavi links vehicle trading and industry with the eastern road network. Kakheti adds wine, fruit and food production, while western Georgia connects ports, hospitality and manufacturing.
A warehouse investor, an equipment manufacturer and a distributor therefore have different reasons to study the corridor. Warehousing earns from the storage and handling relationship; a machinery supplier sells to operators and producers; a distributor earns from local stock and customers. These are existing commercial activities with identifiable firms, premises and buyers. Our Tbilisi team can assist with company research and introductions for the business you intend to develop.