Uzbekistan logistics: Black Sea gateways and the CASA rail study create distinct route-development workstreams

Verified facts

• The Kazakhstan government’s official release identifies Uzbekistan’s transport ministry as a signatory to the October 2026 memorandum with Kazakhstan and the UAE for the proposed CASA railway project.
• The stated next steps are technical, economic and analytical studies, including examination of the infrastructure and associated facilities required for the proposed route.
• The World Bank’s Trans-Caspian study distinguishes corridor potential from realised performance and bases its scenarios on reforms and investments that are not automatically delivered by a memorandum.
• Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Transport independently described the memorandum as an intention to jointly study a Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan rail route with access to Pakistani seaports; its statement is evidence of a study commitment, not evidence that works, financing, border arrangements or a supplier process have been approved.
• Separate 2026 Uzbekistan government material on the Middle Corridor discusses tariff harmonisation, multimodal infrastructure, digital-document recognition and regional data exchange. Those themes frame operational diligence, but do not merge the CASA concept with a completed Trans-Caspian route or create a single procurement pipeline.
• At the October 2026 Uzbekistan–Georgia intergovernmental commission, Invest Uzbekistan reported a signed agreement to establish an Uzbek logistics centre at Poti port and a completed pilot shipment of Uzbek products to Europe. The record creates a named Black Sea asset-and-route case, while leaving its design, operator, build programme and third-party service availability to be confirmed.
• A September 2026 Uzbek government update records that the Poti-centre feasibility study was being prepared as part of wider logistics-infrastructure work with Caspian and Black Sea ports. It also identifies electronic permits, real-time cargo tracking and a unified freight-information system as operating themes requiring implementation evidence.