14 February 2008

Analysis on Europe-Asia corridors: highway more optimal than waterways

German institute of ecologically focused logistics (Frankfurter Institut fuer Umweltorientierte Logistik) has lead a comparative analysis of the most perspective Transsiberian corridors focused on optimization of movement of goods aside of Southeast Asia, first of all China and India.

Two main routes were analysed:

* The Transsiberian highway;

* The international transport to connect waterways Oder-Danube and North Europe seaports, such as Antwerp and Hamburg, with the ports of the Adriatic and Black sea, such as Constance, Romania - called corridor 7.

As a result of this analysis experts have drawn a conclusion that on a total volume of parameters, directed on expansion of the Transsiberian highway, is optimal.

Experts mark expediency for Berlin to support modernization of the Transsiberian highway through the Russian Federation in a direction of the Peoples Republic of China. The Russian railways and Deutsche Bank the project was marked and the interest of China, too.

Huge investments

According to the strategy developed by the Russian railways - development of a railway transportation till 2030 years in modernization and development of railways - Russia plans to involve investments at a rate of USD 560 billion.

About USD 160 billion of this will be directed on purchase and modernization of a rolling stock – purchase over 23,000 locomotives, one million freight cars, 30,000 carriages and 24,000 cars of suburban trains.

By estimations, rapid development of a railway transportation will provide for the building industry, metallurgy, the wood industry and other branches orders for release of the equipment and means for the sum of USD 400 billion.

Investors at the given stage have opportunities for realization of investment projects. Quality of services for a railway infrastructure will increase and will expand a geography of activity.

For the foreign companies the most attractive is the variant of establishing joint ventures with participation of the Russian capital.

It will create necessary preconditions for an output and expansion of the presence in the Russian market. The Canadian company Bombardier has already gone on this way, participation in the project French Alton and German Siemens is also expected.

Waterways vulnerable

As to 7, according to German experts forecasts, concerning prospective efficiency of the specified route does not find acknowledgement on a number of aspects.

In particular, the most vulnerable side of the European project is the isolation of a transport corridor to Suetz canal. A high congestion of Suez canal might seriously limit thoughput of the European corridor.

In addition, it can create a disputed situation at the coordination of various questions, such as the organization of river transport, regulation of streams of movement and customs problems.

The experts specify the vulnerability of the European water route by way of its conformity to the all-European and German nature protection legislation.

Also there is a real threat of recurrence of flooding in pool of the rivers because of works on expansion of river channels and on increase in their throughput.