Most governments, both in Europe and in the Central-Asian Platform, are now trying to encourage shippers and shipping companies to move more freight on rails, mainly due to its low polluting impact. However, one cannot but admit that the main disadvantage of this means of transport is the lack of flexibility, as well as the presence of physical and non-physical aspects have hindered the traffic of goods on railways in international transport.
Because of these reasons, railway transport has lost a lot of its freight market share against road transport. Railway transport is often prevented by transhipment costs, as the goods are transferred from one means of transport to another. However, methods such as containerization aim to reduce these costs. By creating routes that are dedicated to rail freight transport on the Eurasian platform, the players in the field intend to remove barriers, at least the administrative ones, by emphasizing the advantages of long-distance railway routes compared to maritime routes.
New political strategies aim at a Eurasian platform every day more connected by rail freight transport. Therefore, either we are taking about the Trans-Siberian Network, the Trans-Asian Network, the North-South Corridor (Russia-Iran and then to India), the new (Iron) Silk Road or the recently launched freight routes from Germany to Russia and China, these are only few of the attempts to revive and at the same time strengthen the position of long-distance rail freight transport with the purpose of emphasising its advantages compared to maritime transport from the point of view of a much more reduced travel time. Once finalized, the North-South Corridor will be another example to support long-distance rail routes as it will significantly reduce the time goods spend on the road from the present 45-60 days to up to 25-30 days.
A good example to underline these advantages comes from Japan whose Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has financed a test goods transport from Hamada to Vladivostok on the sea and then from Vladivostok to Moscow on the railways. The result? The transport took 30 days compared to the 50 days of the exclusive sea transport from Hamada to the Russian western ports. Moreover, the above-mentioned ministry is now trying to encourage other companies to use the Trans-Siberian route against the sea route.
It is expected that any new inland cargo movements across Asia will be diverted away from maritime shipping and the level of diverted traffic will depend on the net benefits to freight customers offered by the railways over sea carriers.
Share on:
