The overall economic development of any region largely depends on the level of its transport development. And here international transport corridors are of great importance. They connect different countries, ensuring their economic, cultural, scientific and technical cooperation. But international transport corridors are not only economic benefits here and now. It is also a guarantee of security and successful development of the state for many years to come.
This article will discuss what international transport corridors are, how they are formed and developed.
International transport corridor - what is it?
The concept of "international transport corridor" (or, in short, ITC) is understood as a complex transport system that is laid along the most important direction of traffic. This system involves a combination of its different types - road, rail, sea, and pipeline.
As practice shows, international transport corridors are most effectively operated within common economic zones. The densest ITC network today is typical for the European region (especially for Eastern and Central Europe). This, in particular, was facilitated by the adoption by the EU countries of a new transport policy in 2005. An important role in this new concept was assigned to sea transport routes.
The formation of international transport corridors has become relevant at a time when the need for large international transportation of goods has grown significantly. Such corridors, as a rule, are of the utmost importance for the development of both freight and passenger transport of a country or an entire region.
The role and importance of the ITC
The development of international transport corridors is important not only from the standpoint of commercial benefits. After all, transnational transportation brings not only profit. They also stimulate the growth and development of the military, industrial, and scientific sectors of states. In addition, ITCs contribute to the active expansion of the infrastructure of the regions through which they pass.
In many economically developed countries, the issue of transport policy and transport security is put on the highest priority level. Russia also needs to take an example from them in this aspect.
Main functions of the ITC
What are the main tasks of international transport corridors? They canselect a few:
- Providing high-quality, reliable and convenient transportation for all participants in economic relations.
- Providing a kind of "bridges", opportunities for full-fledged trade between states.
- Participation in the formation of the military security of countries and entire regions.
The last point should be discussed in more detail. The fact is that the military security of any territory without exception depends very much on the level of development of its transport network. In simple words: the more highways, railways and stations, sea harbors and airfields in a state, the easier it is to organize defense, deliver equipment, weapons and resources in case of external military aggression.
System of international transport corridors in Europe and Asia
The main transport corridors of the Eurasian region include the following transport corridors:
- MTK "North - South", covering the Scandinavian countries, the states of Central and Eastern Europe, the European part of Russia, the Caspian region, as well as the countries of South Asia.
- The Trans-Siberian Railway (or ITC "Transsib") is the most important corridor passing through the expanses of Russia and connecting the countries of Central Europe with China, Kazakhstan and the Korean Peninsula. It has several branches to Kyiv, St. Petersburg, Ulaanbaatar.
- MTK No. 1 (pan-European) - connects important B altic cities - Riga, Kaliningrad andGdansk.
- MTK No. 2 (pan-European) - links cities such as Minsk, Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod. In the future, it is planned to continue the corridor to Yekaterinburg.
- MTK No. 9 (pan-European) - connects Helsinki, the northern capital of Russia - St. Petersburg, Moscow and Kyiv.
All international transport corridors have their own designations - indexes. For example, ITC "North - South" was assigned the index NS, "Transsib" - TS and so on.
The system of the MTC of Russia
Several ITC passes through the territory of our country. Thus, the most important international transport corridors of Russia are the Northern Sea Route, the ITC Primorye-1, the ITC Primorye-2.
The transport corridor called "Northern Sea Route" connects the important cities of Russia - Murmansk, Arkhangelsk and Dudinka. It has an international designation - SMP.
MTK "Primorye-1" passes through Harbin, Vladivostok, Nakhodka and goes to the important ports of the Pacific region.
MTK "Primorye-2" connects the cities of Hunchun, Kraskino, Zarubino and also goes to the ports of East Asia.
International transport corridors of Russia: problems and development prospects
In the modern world, there are three powerful poles of economic development: North American, European and East Asian. And Russia, being in a favorable geographical position between these important poles, should take advantage of this situation and improveregular transportation within its territory. In other words, it is our country that is obliged to connect these world centers with developed and modern transport corridors.
Russia is quite capable of taking over almost all major Eurasian transport flows. Experts predict that with the correct reorganization of the domestic transport system, this can be achieved in 15-20 years. Russia has all the conditions for this: a dense network of railways, an extensive system of highways, and a dense network of navigable rivers. However, the process of effective formation of transport corridors includes not only the expansion of the transport network, but also its modernization, as well as logistics and transportation security.
Very promising for Russia is the creation of the so-called ITC "East - West" - the most important transport corridor that could connect Europe with Japan. This international transport corridor can be based on the existing Trans-Siberian Railway with branches of the railway to the seaports of the northern part of Russia.
As the statistics of recent years show, the trade turnover between the countries of Europe and the countries of East Asia (primarily Japan and South Korea) has increased by more than five times. At the same time, most of the goods between these regions are transported across the ocean. Therefore, a direct land transport corridor can be an excellent alternative to the sea route. But for this, the Russian authorities should make a lot of efforts.and material resources.
MTK "North - South"
The North-South International Transport Corridor provides links between the countries of the B altic region with India and Iran. Index of this transport corridor: NS.
The main competitor of this corridor is the maritime transport route through the Suez Canal. However, the ITC "North - South" has several tangible advantages. First of all, this overland route is twice as short in distance, which means that transporting goods by this route is much cheaper.
Today, Kazakhstan is a particularly active participant in this transport corridor. The country uses it to transport its export goods (primarily grains) to the Gulf countries. The total turnover of this corridor is estimated at 25 million tons of cargo annually.
MTK "North - South" includes three main branches:
- Trans-Caspian - connects the ports of Olya, Makhachkala and Astrakhan;
- Eastern - is a land rail connection between the countries of Central Asia and Iran;
- Western - runs along the line Astrakhan - Samur - Astara (through Makhachkala).
Pan European ITC 1
The extensive transport system in Central and Eastern Europe was called Pan-European. It covers ten international corridors of different directions. Designated as "PE" with the addition of a specific number (from I to X).
Pan-European International Transport Corridor-1 passes through the territory of six states: Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Poland. Its total length is 3,285 kilometers (of which 1,655 km are motorways and 1,630 km rail).
Pan-European ITC 1 connects major European capitals: Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, Kaunas and Warsaw. Within the boundaries of this transport corridor there are six airports and 11 ports. Part of it passes through the territory of Russia, within the Kaliningrad region, and includes a large B altic port - the city of Kaliningrad.
Pan European ITC 2
In 1994, a special conference on transport issues was held on the island of Crete, at which the main directions of the future Pan-European transport system were determined. It consists of 10 different directions.
The Pan-European International Transport Corridor-2 connects Central Europe with the European part of Russia. It passes through the territory of four states. These are Germany, Poland, Belarus and the Russian Federation. The transport corridor connects major cities such as Berlin, Poznan, Warsaw, Brest, Minsk, Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod.
In conclusion…
Thus, the development of international transport corridors is of great importance for any region of the world. The creation and effective operation of such corridors pursues not only economic, but also cultural, demographic and military-strategic goals.
