Abstract
The paper analyzes the cargo turnover of the seaports of the Caspian basin, examines the main seaports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, assesses the features of their port facilities, and their importance for the country’s transport potential. The study also comprises the analysis of the indicators of the transshipment of cargo in the seaport of Aktau, of its railway and maritime infrastructure, the SWOT analysis of the railways at the approaches to the port. The port’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as key forms of interaction between rail and sea transport and their sphere of effective use have been identified.It is shown that the technical capacity of the port and port rail facilities plays a considerable role in ensuring the further growth of cargo turnover of Kazakhstan’s ports. Main tasks of the optimal interaction of rail and sea transport at the port transport hub are formulated. It is concluded that it is necessary to develop a model for the rational interaction between the port facilities and railways in order to increase their capacity, reduce the downtime of wagons and locomotives at stations and berths, as well as to reduce the cost of rail transportation within the port.