Multi-modal Transportation Investment in Kazakhstan: Planning for Trade and Economic Development in a Post-Soviet Country

AbstractThe collapse of the former Soviet Union has created huge economic hardship for its Central Asian member states. The insertion of country borders at the pre-existing borderless territories has increased transportation cost, disrupted economic linkage, and weakened the country's capability to maintain and modernize an adequate transportation system. This legacy is still quite visible in today's Kazakhstan, a country at the cross roads of Europe and Asia. We developed a 40-year plan for the transport sector in Kazakhstan, Central Asia's largest country. Envisioning the desirability of increasing integration of the Central Asian territory, we examine the challenges and opportunities faced by the transport sector to carry out efficient domestic and regional shipment, and proposes multi-modal investment program for Kazakhstan government. Comparison of different investment options indicates that investment in multi-modal facilities is more cost-effective compared to expensive infrastructure projects