Discusses the distribution network within the country from how products enter to final destination, including reliability and condition of distribution mechanisms, major distribution centers, ports, etc.
Last Published: 7/21/2019

Despite the country’s geographic location, routes for transporting products to or through Turkmenistan are limited. One of the main entry points is the port of Turkmenbashy on the Caspian Sea, located 270 kilometers (170 miles) east of and across the Caspian from Baku, Azerbaijan. Turkmenbashy is an important gateway to Central Asia and is an import and export center for a variety of products. A renovated and expanded port opened in May 2018 and has a total annual capacity of 17 million tons of dry cargo,  300,000 passengers, and 75,000 vehicles.

Turkmenistan has a number of rail links with Uzbekistan in the north and northeast, but rail and road crossings in the Farap district are the most heavily used. In March 2017, the president opened new railway and highway bridges between the cities of Turkmenabat and Farap. The bridges are expected to improve transportation between eastern Turkmenistan and the Uzbek border. There is limited capability for crossboundary deliveries by trucks with Kazakhstan via Garabogaz in the northwest; the road is in very poor condition. The North-South Railway connecting Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan was opened in December 2014. It has an anticipated transportation capacity of 10 million tons of goods annually. In November 2016, a rail line linking Kerki, Turkmenistan to Aqina, Afghanistan was opened.  In February 2018, a rail link from Serhetabat, Turkmenistan to Toraghundi, Afghanistan was opened.  The bulk of air cargo enters the country via the Ashgabat airport, although there are airports in all provincial centers. Airports in Ashgabat, Mary, Turkmenbashy and Turkmenabat can handle heavy aircraft. Most cargo transportation within the country is by truck. Mary, Turkmenbashy, Balkanabat, and, to a lesser extent Ashgabat, are the main destinations for heavy industrial equipment and supplies, while Ashgabat is the major destination for most consumer products.
 

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