Over the past 20 years, the European Community has been involved in the reorganisation process of the European railway transport market and the promotion of the railway transport growth. One of the most expected moments of 2010 for railway transport was the entrance in force of the Third Railway Package for the service market of rail passenger transport. Moreover, an essential element of the European Union’s transport policy is the development of interoperability within the Union and in relation with third countries.
To maximise the potential of current and future developments in the transportation area, the European Commission must develop a correct and comprehensive insight of the current railway market. To this end, several European institutes have conducted a study which analyses the development of the international railway passenger transport in EU27 and between EU27 and the neighbouring countries, as well as the development of the international freight transport between EU27 and neighbouring countries. The study, published in March 2010 on the European Commission’s website, is extremely comprehensive and has been elaborated by NEA Institute of Transport Research (Netherlands), the University of Leeds (UK), PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Significance, Transport Research Institute (Netherlands).
Competitor for the Trans-Siberian
The above-mentioned study also debates the new railway connection between Asia and Europe – from China via Kazakhstan and finally towards Europe, more precisely towards the Baltic States. The railway connection was opened at the beginning of the 90s and tends to become a competitor for the Trans-Siberian railway line.
The trade with China provides one of the most promising growth markets of the rail transport of goods. The route provides special opportunities for the development of railway transport mainly because of the boost of the Chinese economy, even in times of economic downturn and by establishing new production facilities in western China. Unlike the Trans-Siberian Land Bridge, the new Eurasia Land Bridge is also called “Eurasia Land Bridge II”. It begins in Lianyungang, runs along the Long-Hai line and the Lan-Xin line, arrives to the Alatav region (China), then passes through Russia, Kazakhstan and then towards the bridges from western Europe and the Baltic States ports. The 10,900 km long line was inaugurated in 1990 and has been providing international transport services since1992.
The traffic volume carried through Alatav reached 13.1 million tonnes in 2006, the biggest volume since its inauguration, but dropped to 12 million tonnes in 2007. The containers shipped through Alatav dropped to 142,900 TEU and to 191,000 TEU in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Finally, this goods flow could become important for the European Union. The freight flow between China and the EU is currently developing on the routes where there are no technical interoperability problems, more precisely through the Baltic Area. Over the past years, there have been different new evolutions in the development of the New Eurasia Land Bridge, the study conducted by the European Commission points out.
First of all, the modes of transport pertaining to New Eurasia Land Bridge are improving. The construction of double-track sections on the railway line in northern Xinjiang began in April 2007. Once the Lanzhou- Xinjiang rail line will be electrified (from Jiayu Pass to Alatav), the entire Chinese section from New Eurasia Land Bridge will be electrified.
Secondly, there is also an agreement on the need to a more efficient exploitation of the New Eurasia Land Bridge in what concerns the goods transport between China, Kazakhstan and Russia. An official document signed by the presidents of China and Kazakhstan in August 2007 stipulates that “the two contracting parties will use the potential of freight transport to the maximum, as well as the consolidation of port capacity and will promote the construction of the international transport corridor for protecting transport between China and Europe through China and Kazakhstan”. The exploitation of the transport service with block containers between Lianyungang and Moscow began after the agreement was signed. The aim of transport operations on this section is changing. In the past, freight transport from Eastern Asia to Central Asis used to dominate the traffic on New Eurasia Land Bridge. Freight transport to Russia and Europe is currently growing. The transport of goods from outside Kazakhstan has also grown. As for imports from China, the percentage of goods from outside Kazakhstan increased from 39% to 44%. This growth in non-Kazakh goods shows the New Eurasia Land Bridge’s significant role as international transport corridor.
The corridor is very efficient, but needs several improvements, experts say. The construction of better infrastructures along the corridor needs acceleration: from various reasons, the construction of a railway connection between China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan has not yet begun although it is critical for the corridor which starts from China to Southern Europe via Central and Western Asia. Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Iran have also signed and agreement stipulating the construction of a railway line connecting the three countries. This railway route which passes through Kashi (China), Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Iran will have an overall length of 1.373 km, 215 of which in China, 194 in Kyrgyzstan, 496 km in Tajikistan and 468 km in
Afghanistan. These two railways are very similar and must be thus planned to optimize the railway network. Currently, railway transport focuses its attention towards Asia in the attempt of attaining imaginary borders, at least on railways.
by Elena Ilie
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