International transport corridors of Russia. Formation and development of international transport corridors

The overall economic development of any region largely depends on the level of its transport development. And here the international transport corridors are of great importance. They connect different countries, providing their economic, cultural and scientific and technical cooperation. But international transport corridors are not only economic benefits here and now. This is also a guarantee of security and successful development of the state for many years to come.

In this article we will talk about what international transport corridors are, how they are formed and are developing.

International transport corridor - what is it?

Under the term "international transport corridor" (or, briefly, ITC) is understood as a complex transport system that is laid along the most important direction of traffic. This system involves the combination of its various types - automobile, railway, sea, and pipeline.

As practice shows, international transport corridors are most effectively operated within the single economic zones. The most dense network of the ITC is today 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 given to the sea transport routes.

The formation of international transport corridors became relevant at a time when the requirements for large international transport of goods increased significantly. Such corridors, as a rule, are of great importance for the development of both cargo and passenger transport of the country or the whole region.

The role and value of the ITC

The development of international transport corridors is important not only from the point of view of commercial benefits. After all, transnational transportation does not only bring profit. They also stimulate the growth and development of the military, industrial, scientific branch of the states. In addition, the ITC contributes to the active expansion of the infrastructure of the regions for which they pass.

In many economically developed countries, the issue of transport policy and transport security is placed at the highest level of priority. Russia, too, need to take an example from them in this aspect.

Main functions of ITC

What are the main tasks of the international transport corridors? They can be divided into several:

1. Providing quality, reliable and convenient transportation for all participants in economic relations.
2. Provision of unique "bridges", opportunities for full-fledged trade turnover between states.
3. Participation in the formation of military security of countries and entire regions.

At the last point, we need to dwell in more detail. The fact is that the military security of any territory without exception is very much dependent on the level of development of its transport grid. In simple words: the more state roads, railways and stations, sea harbors and airfields - the easier it is to organize defense, transport equipment, weapons and resources in case of external military aggression.

System of international transport corridors of Europe and Asia

The following transport corridors can be classified as the most important ITC of the Eurasian region:

• MTC North-South, covering the Scandinavian countries, the states of Central and Eastern Europe, the European part of Russia, the Caspian region, and the countries of South Asia.
• The Trans-Siberian Railway (or MTC Transsib) is the most important corridor passing through the vast expanses of Russia and connecting the countries of Central Europe with China, Kazakhstan and the Korean peninsula. It has several branches to Kiev, St. Petersburg, Ulan Bator.
• MTC No. 1 (pan-European) - connects the important cities of the Baltic - Riga, Kaliningrad and Gdansk.
• MTC No. 2 (Pan-European) - connects cities such as Minsk, Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod. In the future, it is planned to continue the corridor to Yekaterinburg.
• MTC No. 9 (pan-European) - connects Helsinki, the northern capital of Russia - St. Petersburg, Moscow and Kiev.

All international transport corridors have their designations - indices. For example, MTK "North-South" is assigned the NS index, "Transsib" - TS and so on.

System of the ITC of Russia

Several MTC passes through the territory of our country. So, the most important international transport corridors of Russia are the Northern Sea Route, the Primor'e-1 International Transport Company, and the Primor'e-2 International Transport Complex.

The transport corridor, called the Northern Sea Route, connects the important cities of Russia - Murmansk, Arkhangelsk and Dudinka. It has an international designation - SMP.

MTC Primorye-1 passes through Harbin, Vladivostok, Nakhodka and goes to important ports of the Pacific region.

MTK Primorje-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 establish regular transportation on 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 on almost all the main Eurasian traffic flows. Experts predict that with the correct reorganization of the domestic transport system, this can be achieved within 15-20 years. In Russia, there are all conditions for this: a dense network of railways, a ramified system of motorways, the presence of a dense network of navigable rivers. However, the process of efficient formation of transport corridors includes not only the expansion of the transport grid, but also its modernization, as well as logistics and transport security.

Very promising for Russia is the creation of the so-called MTC East-West, the most important transport corridor that could connect Europe with Japan. The current Trans-Siberian Railway can be used as a basis for this international transport corridor with railroad branches 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 East Asian countries (first of all, Japan and South Korea) has increased more than fivefold. At the same time, most of the goods between these regions are transported across the ocean. Therefore, a direct overland transport corridor can be an excellent alternative to the sea route. But for this, the Russian authorities should make a lot of effort and material resources.

MTK "North-South"

The international transport corridor "North-South" provides communication between the countries of the Baltic region with India and Iran. The index of this transport corridor is: NS.

The main competitor of this corridor is the sea transport route through the Suez Canal. However, the MTK "North-South" has several tangible advantages. First of all, this overland route is twice shorter by distance, which means that the transportation of 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 cereals) to the countries of the Persian Gulf. 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 railway connection of the countries of Central Asia and Iran;
• Western - passes through the line Astrakhan - Samur - Astara (via Makhachkala).

Pan-European ITC No. 1

The ramified transport system in Central and Eastern Europe was called Pan-European. It covers ten international corridors of different directions. Denoted as "PE" with the addition of a specific digit (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 3285 kilometers (of which - 1655 km - on motorways and 1,630 km - by rail).

Pan-European ITC No. 1 links the major European capitals to each other: Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, Kaunas and Warsaw. Within the boundaries of this transport corridor are six airports and 11 ports. Part of it passes through Russia, within the Kaliningrad region, and includes a major Baltic port - the city of Kaliningrad.

Pan-European ITC No. 2

In 1994, a special conference on transport was held on the island of Crete, which identified the main directions of the future Pan-European transport system. It includes 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. They are Germany, Poland, Belarus and the Russian Federation. The transport corridor connects such large cities as Berlin, Poznan, Warsaw, Brest, Minsk, Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod.

Finally...

Thus, the development of international transport corridors is of the greatest importance for any region of the world. The creation and efficient operation of such corridors pursues goals not only economic, but also cultural, demographic and military-strategic.