Turkmenistan occupies a strategic location bridging Central Asia to the Caspian Sea, with links westward via the Turkmenbashi Port and eastward via Corridors 2, 3, and 6. The Turkmenbashi Port, opened in 2018, has a design capacity of 17 mt and 400,000 TEUs, but remains underutilized due to strict transit regimes and limited multimodal integration.
In road transport, strict visa requirements for drivers, opaque fee structures, and a complex permitting system deter regional transit. Notwithstanding the challenges, Uzbeki drivers actively transit through Turkmenistan to access Iranian ports such as Bandar Abbas. The Alat-Farap BCP is a vital node for this transit. For rail shipments, goods move from Afghanistan and land at the Torghundi-Serkhed Abat BCP to be loaded in trains for Ashgabat.
TFI results reflect mixed performance. Road TFI1 dropped sharply by 46%, indicating faster clearance, yet TFI2 and TFI3 remained high, and rail transport showed rising time and cost. Speeds (SWD and SWOD) are stagnant, hinting potential infrastructure fatigue and bottlenecks.
Limited Progress
Table 6.9: Trade Facilitation Indicators for Turkmenistan (2021–2023)
| Trade Facilitation Indicators | Road Transport | Rail Transport | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | % change | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | % change | ||
| TFI1 | Time taken to clear a border-crossing point (hour) | 6.9 | 10.1 | 5.5 | -45.72% | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 5.21% |
| Outbound | 3.6 | 34.6 | – | -100.00% | – | – | – | – | |
| Inbound | 7.1 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 9.84% | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 5.21% | |
| TFI2 | Cost incurred at border-crossing clearance ($) | – | 62 | 70 | 12.21% | 81 | 81 | 81 | 0.01% |
| Outbound | – | 52 | – | -100.00% | – | – | – | – | |
| Inbound | – | 70 | 70 | – | 81 | 81 | 81 | 0.01% | |
| TFI3 | Cost incurred to travel a corridor section | 564 | 604 | 591 | -2.23% | 1,349 | 1,308 | 1,357 | 3.74% |
| ($, per 500 km, per 20-ton cargo) | |||||||||
| SWD | Speed to travel on CAREC Corridors (km/h) | 21.9 | 26.4 | 25.3 | -4.22% | 14.0 | 13.9 | 13.5 | -2.92% |
| SWOD | Speed without Delay (km/h) | 53.9 | 53.5 | 45.4 | -15.23% | 29.0 | 29.3 | 29.3 | 0.20% |
TFI1 data for road transport indicates fluctuating performance. After an increase from 6.85 hr in 2021 to 10.12 hr in 2022, the average border clearance time dropped significantly to 5.49 hr in 2023 (–45.7%). This improvement likely reflects a partial easing of bottlenecks at border control points and possibly streamlined inspection processes. However, inbound clearance time rose by 9.8% from 5.00 hr to 5.49 hr in 2023, suggesting persistent procedural or staffing issues at certain border stations.
Rail transport clearance time slightly increased over the period, rising from 3.71 hr in 2021 to 3.93 hr in 2023 (+5.2%). Although this change is marginal, it reflects a need to improve rail terminal handling speed and coordination with customs agencies to avoid potential backlogs.
TFI2 values for road transport show an upward trend. From no cost in 2021, border clearance cost increased to $62.38 in 2022 and $70.00 in 2023 (+12.2%). While some increment can be attributed to service fee rationalization and inflationary trends, it raises concerns about cost transparency and valuefor- money service provision. Inbound cost remained constant at $70.00 between 2022 and 2023. Outbound cost was recorded as zero in 2023, which may reflect administrative waivers or a data anomaly.
Rail transport costs remained consistent, at approximately $81 per transaction throughout the period, with only a negligible change (+0.01%). While this stability can be seen as a positive sign of predictable pricing, it may also indicate an insufficient review of fee structures, potentially masking inefficiencies.
TFI3 results show relatively stable costs for road transport. The cost per 500 km for 20-ton cargo increased from $563.51 in 2021 to $604.30 in 2022, and slightly declined to $590.81 in 2023 (–2.2%), possibly reflecting improved road utilization or cost saving by logistics providers.
However, rail corridor transport costs increased from $1,349.37 in 2021 to $1,357.05 in 2023 (+3.7%). The consistently high cost structure in rail transport may be attributable to outdated rolling stock, inefficient cargo handling practices, or underutilization of rail capacity. Investment in modernization and intermodal solutions could help reverse this trend.
SWD in road transport improved from 21.91 km/h in 2021 to 26.43 km/h in 2022, then dipped to 25.32 km/h in 2023 (–4.2%). This suggests that while travel delays have been addressed to some extent, improvements have been inconsistent. SWOD declined more significantly from 53.91 km/h in 2021 to 45.38 km/h in 2023 (–15.2%), possibly due to deteriorating road quality, increased traffic congestion, or regulatory speed restrictions.
Rail transport SWD decreased modestly from 13.98 to 13.52 km/h (–2.9%), while SWOD similarly rose from 29.04 km/h to 29.32 km/h (+0.2%), suggesting that operational performance in rail corridors remains largely static, with minimal progress on speed-related efficiencies.