Developing rail freight corridors and synchronizing investments for infrastructure projects will contribute to supporting an efficient transport that will minimise the environmental impact, boost attractiveness due to increased reliability and reduced congestion, but also due to the low level of management and exploitation costs.
Implementing projects is extremely important for achieving the growth purposes of the traffic volumes and for creating an attractive environment for each and every region. Also, investments for building missing links for integrating corridors and modernising existing routes are extremely important.
A new rail freight transport service has been recently initiated between China and Germany (10,300 km) via Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus and Poland, “one of the priorities of the companies involved in the project being the development of the rail freight transport services between China and Europe”, explains Belarus Railways in a press release. This will trigger the construction of new railway lines to shorten the distance and also the launch of infrastructure modernisation projects.
Other projects influencing the integration of the national transport systems into international networks, forming transport corridors, are the rehabilitation of the line section Varna-Ruse, estimated at EUR 32 Million and a project for the rehabilitation of the railway infrastructure in Armenia, project estimated at over EUR 200 Million. Also, the Indian Government plans to rebuild a freight corridor requiring investments of USD 1.9 Billion and for this, the authorities have initiated talks for development of a joint-venture. Moreover, for the same purpose of building freight transport lines, India has called on the World Bank and Japan to release loans estimated at USD 9 Billion. “If the economy maintains the current growth tendency, we will definitely have rail freight corridors”, declared Abhaya Agarwal, Head of the PPP’s Department, Ernst & Young (India).
The authorities in Kazakhstan keep up with the countries who rely on rail freight transport and plan to connect their railway network to the international network: they are planning the construction of a 485-km line, including investments worth over USD 1 Billion, the electrification of two lines (Aktoday–Dostik, measuring more than 300 km and Mojenti–Aktoday, over 500 km), amounting to USD 1.3 Billion.
All rail infrastructure development and rehabilitation projects require investments in the automation of the communications sectors and introduction of technologies that help reduce resource consumption. The priorities of infrastructure projects include the rehabilitation of power installations and electrification of lines. Putting in service the non-electrified sections will expand the operation area of electric locomotives, will increase the weigh and the speed of trains and locomotives, as well as the efficiency of transport in general”, declared Eduard Biriucov, Secretary General TRACECA in an interview for our magazine.
In order to create intercontinental railway connections with Asia, Europe needs a better integration of networks. European forwarders also seek to eliminate barriers and major obstacles that hinder infrastructure development and investments. Creating a single European area for a competitive transport and a completely integrated transport network will permit Europe to compete with other continents. Therefore, the development of an efficient intercontinental transport demands an attentive elaboration of approaching the management of freight corridors, as a competitive international position requires performing transport systems.
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