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Media about the institute. New transport corridors will connect northeast Asia

The concept of a transport corridor

Intermodal and multimodal transportation technologies are most effectively implemented within transport corridors.

Definition 1

Transport corridor is a high-tech transport system that concentrates transport communications in a certain direction, ensuring mass transportation of goods between densely populated areas.

Transport corridors formed in international communications are called international transport corridors (ITC); they function most effectively in a single customs and economic space.

Transport corridors that include several modes of transport are called multimodal transport corridors. Such corridors should be provided not only with a developed transport infrastructure, but also with modern terminal and warehouse facilities.

The objectives of the formation and development of the ITC are as follows:

coordinated formation and development of the transport and logistics infrastructure of states for the unhindered movement of passengers and cargo across national borders;
organizing effective interaction between modes of transport in a multi-intermodal transport chain;
rationalization of the transportation process in order to improve the quality of the logistics process and reduce the transport component in the final price of the product;
creating conditions for reducing transport tariffs by increasing the effective load of the transport network;
increasing transport accessibility of regions;
increasing population mobility;
development of cross-border cooperation, development of new territories and new trade markets;
promoting the development of cultural relations and international tourism.

Pan-European transport corridors

The most widely developed transport corridors are those of central and eastern Europe, which are called pan-European or Cretan transport corridors.

In Crete in March 1994, during the II Pan-European Conference, 9 ITCs were identified. In 1997, at the III Pan-European Conference in Helsinki, the number of ITCs was increased to 10, and recommendations for their expansion were proposed. Pan-European transport corridors involve rail, water and road transport. The following passes through the territory of the Russian Federation:

MTC No. 2 Berlin - Pozan - Warsaw - Minsk - Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod (a proposal to extend this MTC to Yekaterinburg was also accepted)
MTC No. 9 Helsinki – St. Petersburg – Moscow – Gomel – Kyiv – access to the Black Sea ports.

Transport corridors of Russia

The system of transport corridors on the territory of the Russian Federation includes:

the Euro-Asian corridor “North-South” (connects the Baltic countries with India, runs through the territory of Russia);
the Euro-Asian corridor “East - West” (connects Europe with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region), its basis is the Trans-Siberian Railway;
Northern corridor sea route, NSR (links the European part of the Russian Federation and the Far East, passes through the seas of the Arctic Ocean);
a system of corridors connecting the northeastern provinces of China through the seaports of the Primorsky Territory with the ports of the Asia-Pacific countries.

In the system of transport corridors of the Russian Federation, the pan-European ITC No. 2 is included in the Trans-Siberian Railway, and a section of corridor No. 9 (the border of Finland - St. Petersburg - Moscow) is part of the North - South corridor.

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 various countries, ensuring their economic, cultural, scientific and technical cooperation. But international transport corridors are not only about economic benefits here and now. This is also a guarantee of the security and successful development of the state for many years to come.

In this article we'll talk about 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) refers to a complex transport system that is laid along the most important direction of transport movement. This system involves combining different types of transport - 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 characteristic of the European region (especially Eastern and Central Europe). This, in particular, was facilitated by the adoption by EU countries of a new transport policy in 2005. An important role in this new concept was assigned to maritime transport routes.

The formation of international transport corridors has become relevant at a time when the needs for large international transport of goods have increased significantly. Such corridors, as a rule, are of utmost importance for the development of both freight and passenger transport of a country or an entire region.

The role and significance of MTK

The development of international transport corridors is important not only from the standpoint of commercial benefits. After all, transnational transport transportation brings not only profit. They also stimulate the growth and development of the military, industrial, and scientific sectors of states. In addition, MTCs also 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 has been placed at the highest level of priority. Russia also needs to follow their example in this aspect.

Main functions of MTK

What are the main tasks that international transport corridors should fulfill? There are several of them:

Providing high-quality, reliable and convenient transport services for all participants in economic relations.
Providing unique “bridges” and opportunities for full-fledged trade turnover 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, very much depends on the level of development of its transport network. In simple words: the more highways, railways and stations, sea harbors and airfields a state has, the easier it is to organize defense, transport equipment, weapons and resources in the event 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:

ITC "North - South", covering the Scandinavian Central-Eastern Europe, the European part of Russia, the Caspian region, as well as the countries of South Asia.
(or MTK Transsib) is the most important corridor running across 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.
MTC No. 1 (pan-European) - connects important Baltic cities - 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 extend the corridor to Yekaterinburg.
MTC No. 9 (pan-European) - connects Helsinki, northern capital Russia - St. Petersburg, Moscow and Kyiv.

All international transport corridors have their own designations - indices. For example, the North-South ITC is assigned the index NS, Trans-Siberian Railway - TS, and so on.

MTC system of Russia

Several transport routes pass through our country. Thus, the most important international transport corridors in Russia are the Primorye-1 ITC and the Primorye-2 ITC.

The transport corridor called 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 reaches important ports of the Pacific region.

MTC "Primorye-2" connects the cities of Hunchun, Kraskino, Zarubino and also goes to the ports East Asia.

International transport corridors of Russia: problems and development prospects

IN modern world there are three powerful poles economic development: North American, European and East Asian. And Russia, being in a favorable position geographical location between these important poles, must take advantage of this situation and establish regular transport services across 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 the main Eurasian transport flows. Experts predict that with proper reorganization of the domestic transport system, this can be achieved within 15-20 years. Russia has all the conditions for this: a dense railway network, an extensive system of highways, and the presence of 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 safety.

Very promising for Russia is the creation of the so-called East-West International Transport Corridor - an important transport corridor that could connect Europe with Japan. This international transport corridor could be based on the existing Trans-Siberian Railway with railway branches to the seaports of the northern part of Russia.

As statistics show in recent years, trade turnover between European countries and East Asian countries (primarily Japan and South Korea) has increased more than fivefold. Moreover, the bulk of 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 effort and material resources.

MTC "North - South"

The international transport corridor "North - South" provides connections between the Baltic region countries and 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 North-South ITC has several tangible advantages. First of all, this land route is half the distance, which means that transporting goods this way 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 corridor is estimated at 25 million tons of cargo annually.

ITC "North - South" includes three main branches:

Trans-Caspian - connects Makhachkala and Astrakhan;
Eastern - is an overland railway connection between the countries of Central Asia and Iran;
Western - runs along the line Astrakhan - Samur - Astara (via Makhachkala).

Pan-European ITC No. 1

The extensive transport system in Central and Eastern Europe is called Pan-European. It covers ten international corridors of different directions. Designated as "PE" with the addition of a specific number (I to X).

Pan-European International Transport Corridor-1 passes through the territory of six countries: Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Poland. Its total length is 3285 kilometers (of which 1655 km are by highway and 1630 km by rail).

Pan-European MTC No. 1 connects major European capitals with each other: Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, Kaunas and Warsaw. Within the boundaries of this transport corridor there are six airports and 11 ports. Part of it passes along within Kaliningrad region, and includes a large Baltic port - the city of Kaliningrad.

Pan-European MTK No. 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 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. These are Germany, Poland, Belarus and the Russian Federation. The transport corridor connects such major cities like 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.

Promising international transport corridors (ITC) of North-East Asia pass through the territory of Primorye. In particular, the launch of the Primorye-1 and Primorye-2 transport corridors can provide a good incentive for development. Mikhail Kholosha, head of the transport development department of the Far Eastern Research, Design and Engineering Institute of the Marine Fleet (DNIIMF), told how the plan is being implemented and what needs to be done. Mikhail Kholosha: “For the development of international transport corridors with the participation of Primorye, multilateral international cooperation is necessary”

Mikhail Vasilyevich, during the times of the USSR and for many years after that, the development of transport in the Far East took place under conditions of dominance of export cargo and servicing domestic transport. The share of transit was negligible. When in the late 90s they started talking about integration into the international transport system, they were talking only about the intermodal transport corridor “East - West” (Asia - Europe). What are Primorye ITCs: when was their idea formulated, are they recognized by the international transport community and are they not a replacement for previous ideas?

Primorye has potential in different segments of the transit market, this is not only the transcontinental Asia-Europe route, but also transit in our region, within Asia or the Asia-Pacific region. No one has canceled the East-West corridor, but regional transport corridors are also important for economic development. Moreover, there is a greater demand for these corridors; less effort and money are required to launch them.

Much more international cargo can go through the ports of Primorye. These are cargoes from China, Japan, Mongolia, Korea, Vietnam, Australia, North and South America and many other countries of the world.

The economic situation is such that if the necessary conditions are created, our ports can:
- continue to serve growing exports;
- increase the volume of servicing imported cargo from Asia-Pacific countries, which often arrive in our Far Eastern region with travel “around” globe» along the route “Asia-Europe-Asia”;
- enter the transit market, the volume of which may exceed traditional transportation (export, import and cabotage).

Now about the history: in 1995, Russia became a participant in the “Program for the Development of the Tumannaya River Basin”, everyone remembers it as the Tumangan Project, this program has not existed for a long time. But on its basis, in 2005, the “Extended Tumangan Initiative” (RTI) was established - a multilateral cooperation mechanism with the support of the UN Development Program with the participation of the PRC, the DPRK (withdrew from the RTI in 2009), the Republic of Korea, Mongolia and the Russian Federation. Japan participates on a non-governmental basis.

It's like in nature: a caterpillar turned into a butterfly! This transformation made it possible to form an entire mechanism for the development of the transport and logistics network of North-East Asia from the idea of one corridor (Tumangan). As a result, the role of Primorye has strengthened, and we have the opportunity to realize our diversified transit potential.

But the birth of the corridor system did not occur in RTI. In 2000, an international team of specialists from Russia, China, Mongolia, South Korea and Japan, under the leadership of the ERINA Institute (Japan), formulated the Concept of Northeast Asia Corridors. In 2002, it was approved at the Economic Forum of NEA countries in Niigata. From that moment on, it was officially recognized, including its parts - ITC "Primorye-1" (Harbin - Suifenhe - Grodekovo - ports of Vladivostok, Nakhodka, Vostochny - ports of the Asia-Pacific region) and "Primorye-2" (Changchun - Jilin - Hunchun - Makhalino - Posyet - Zarubino - ports of the Asia-Pacific region). DNIIMF took an active part in the creation of this concept. At that stage, it was an idea that did not have a suitable platform for implementation.

There was also an attempt to promote corridors in the UNESCAP format, but it ended in 2004, when this organization shifted its focus to Central Asia. Therefore, in 2010, we proposed updating the RTI transport strategy, because its Tumangan corridor did not solve all the problems, and the geographical mandate of the RTI is much broader: it covers the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning and Inner Mongolia of the PRC, three eastern provinces of Mongolia (Dornod, Khentii and Sukhbaatar), the eastern ports of the Republic of Korea and the territory of Primorye. The idea was supported. As a result, today RTI is the only international organization that is involved in the development of the international transport corridor with access to the ports of Primorye, and, given the level of its compactness (4 countries), this is a convenient platform for coordination and preparation of the necessary intergovernmental agreements.

Usually everyone asks for numbers, and they are often given. For example, the possible demand for transit in the next 10–15 years only through the port of Zarubino, according to general estimates, could reach 90–100 million tons annually. Impressive! But there are several “buts” in understanding the question. First: transit is a particularly “moving” cargo in choosing the most attractive route. Second: I gave an example of only one corridor out of several. And third: we are not talking about the microeconomics of transport, but about the infrastructure support for the development of the economic space, including the territories and economies of the NEA countries, including (which is important for us) our Primorsky edge.

Therefore, the point here is not at all about “tons” of new cargo turnover. These are new opportunities for the development of the region, and there is a nuance: the macroeconomics of corridors provides beneficial effects for many countries. A study carried out in 2012 by a group of its experts showed that in order to develop corridors, it is necessary to strictly follow international demand for transport.

- What needs to be done first?

The uneven development of infrastructure within Northeast Asia hinders the economic development of the countries in the region. We can grow together, so we need to continue to work on creating a transport and logistics system in Primorye, aiming at the overall result of sailors, port workers, railway workers, customs officers, logisticians and other participants in the process. After all, the creation of an international transport complex is impossible without effective logistics, and it rests on the four “Cs” - speed, cost, service, stability.

I recently returned from the next RTI Transport Council, which took place on June 15–16 in Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia). We discussed how the regional transport strategy of RTI is being implemented, including the current problems of improving the multimodal transport that is in demand in the region using sea and land modes of transport. To develop these transportations using the Primorye-1 and Primorye-2 ITCs, it is important to remove the key barrier - the ineffective transit procedure. This will enable businesses to engage in technical, technological and economic improvement with minimal risks.

You have repeatedly emphasized in your speeches that when creating the ITC, not only competition, but also cooperation plays an important role. Explain what you mean?

The peculiarities of the integration of transport systems are that there is both intense competition (struggle for the volume and territory of logistics services) and active cooperation. If you mark on the map the corresponding territories of Japan, China, the Republic of Korea, Mongolia, the Russian Far East and the DPRK, it is clearly visible how a unified macroeconomic space is gradually being created, and this, in turn, requires interacting elements of a common logistics infrastructure, the presence of unified standards, legal norms, etc. The solution to these issues is impossible on the basis of single competition and without cooperation.

Not yet, although testing of routes on Russian sections of the ITC is happening more and more often and more effectively. There have been many successful demonstration runs in the last five years.

For example, in 2010, Niigata Prefecture conducted a successful test of transporting two containers along the Hunchun-Zarubino-Niigata route. Further, in 2011, 10 containers were transported from Hunchun to the Korean port of Busan, and another batch of containers was transported to Japan. In August 2013, the first demonstration train with coal passed through the Kamyshovaya station (Russia) to Hunchun, in the spring of 2014 - the first transit container train from Suifenhe to Grodekovo and further to the Vostochny port (with delivery to Asia-Pacific countries), in January of this year the transportation of containers to the Vostochny port.

Successful tests and demonstration launches are an indicator that the infrastructure allows for the transport of goods, but the MTK is a system more high level economic, informational, technical and technological interaction of the transport process. Therefore, there are no corridors yet, although the process has definitely begun. When corridor technologies, services and the corresponding market are formed on these routes, then we can say that the ITC is working.

The concept of NEA corridors was formulated almost 15 years ago. Has time confirmed its authenticity? Has anything changed during this time?

A team of RTI experts constantly monitors economic developments and regularly exchanges information. As demand for transportation changes, RTI will make appropriate adjustments to its transport strategy. These issues are always actively discussed.

Time has shown: those routes that were marked with a dotted line on the map as potential are now becoming operational. This is actively happening on the Mongolian side: the country is rapidly developing (the Millennium project and others), improving the network of roads and railways, developing aviation, and successfully seeking access to the sea. And development is happening on our shoulders, which will lead to new demand, which we really need. This is the essence of development: new high-quality ideas emerge that need to be supported infrastructurally.

By the way, in 2014, at the 15th session of the RTI Advisory Commission in Yanji (PRC), an agreement was signed on the creation of the Association of Export-Import Banks of China, the Republic of Korea, Mongolia and Russia (VEB entered it). It is engaged in financial support of interregional infrastructure projects. Currently, the banks’ project list includes eight projects from Mongolia, four from the Republic of Korea, three from China (including Russian-Chinese projects) and two from Russia (similarly, including projects for the development of the Zarubino seaport and a coal terminal in the Khabarovsk Territory). The RTI train is picking up speed, it is important not to be late for it.

And yet, new circumstances have appeared in the development of transport and logistics infrastructure: the Eurasian Economic Union, the Chinese new “Silk Road”, the law on the free port of Vladivostok is about to be adopted...

Yes, in 2015, the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) was created, which has international legal personality, relevant institutions and a legal framework, including the Customs Code of the Union being created, since it is an integration economic association - a union.

On May 8 of this year, Russia and China signed a joint statement on cooperation to link the development of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Silk Road Economic Belt project, including its northeastern part (by the way, coinciding with the geographical mandate of the RTI). I will add that today the PRC is working on the “One Belt, One Road” megaproject, which includes maritime (Maritime Silk Road of the 21st century) and continental (Silk Road Economic Belt) components, and these are not only different routes between Europe and Asia. As the Chinese themselves say, this is a project to create a single economic and cultural space.

You mentioned the draft Federal Law “On the Free Port of Vladivostok” developed by the Ministry of Eastern Development. The State Duma will consider it in the near future. We all hope that it will be able to facilitate the passage of transit cargo, because this is extremely necessary.

And there is also the South Korean “Eurasian Initiative”, it is interesting with the idea of harmonizing the development of all countries of Eurasia. There is a view from Japan and other countries, and this needs to be taken into account. And projects promoted by Russia, including projects of the Ministry of Eastern Development, and ideas included in the Federal Target Program for the development of the region.

The strategic field is very voluminous and multifaceted. It seems constructive to jointly promote development ideas based on their compatibility and complementarity.

Based on this, the RTI mechanism can become an effective platform for coordinating transport development in different formats of cooperation. This is important for transit, especially taking into account the necessary consistency of procedures with the new Customs Code of the EAEU.

Another important aspect is a mutually beneficial format of cooperation, ensuring a balance of mutual benefits. This is a complex process with multilateral significance due to the involvement of many countries.

How do you think cooperation should be formed when organizing the ITC - is it a simple sum of bilateral agreements, for example, Russia with China, Russia with Mongolia, and so on? Or is it a more complex design?

Macroeconomics is always greater than the sum of individual microeconomic objects or projects. Therefore, a corridor is not a simple sum; in addition, transit along corridors is a relationship between several, less often two, and most often more countries It is impossible to do without a multilateral format of interaction, but it must be supplemented by bilateral and unilateral initiatives.

There is one more aspect that reveals the versatility and multiplicity of sides in the development of corridors. There are transcontinental routes that connect Europe and Asia: the Northern Sea Route, the BAM, the Trans-Siberian Railway, the Central Trans-China Route, the Southern Sea Route (via the Suez Canal), etc. But they are also the basis of the regional transport network. MTC “Primorye-1” and “Primorye-2” are part of regional corridors, which in turn (like a nesting doll in a nesting doll!) are fragments of transcontinental corridors. Therefore, these corridors do not compete so much as they complement each other in order to cover the entire space of a huge continent.

How can we take into account the interests of private business (getting as much profit as possible!) and the state interested in the macroeconomic effect for the development of territories?

It is clear that the creation of corridors is always a spatial economic development task that must take into account both macro- and microeconomic returns.

The difficulty lies in the laboriousness of taking into account all the necessary aspects: economic, political, government, social, etc. But this will minimize risks and ensure a long-term balance of mutual benefit for all participants.

Interviewed by Irina DROBYSHEVA

Excerpts from the report of the Subcommittee on Transport of the Organizing Committee of the Northeast Asia Economic Conference
Nine Transport Corridors of Northeast Asia
Russian Expert Review No. 10 2004

The list shows both currently operating and conceptual corridors, but in the future all of them should become the main corridors for transporting international goods in the region. From the description above it is clear that the corridors include only land areas. However, it must be remembered that they will be connected by sea lines to Japan, the Republic of Korea, the countries of Southeast Asia and North America.
The main problems of NEA transport corridors (related to gaps in the railway or road infrastructure, differences in railway gauge width, problems passing CIQ control, problems with access zones trucks neighboring countries) that impede the smooth passage of goods and people across borders. The solution to these problems is a necessary condition ensuring unimpeded transportation along NEA transport corridors.

Current state and problems of transport corridors

3.1 Transport corridor Vanino – Taishet

3.1.1 Meaning

The Vanino-Taishet transport corridor connects the Russian Far East with the countries of Europe and Central Asia and plays a complementary role in relation to the Trans-Siberian Railway. The corridor originates in the port of Vanino on the shore of the Tatar Strait (Mamiya Strait) and runs along the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM), which connects with the Trans-Siberian Railway, which then leads to the countries of Europe and Central Asia. There is a railway ferry between Vanino and Kholmsk (Sakhalin), providing access to the route to Sakhalin.

3.1.2 Current situation

1) Port (Vanino)
The port of Vanino maintains a regular container line to Busan. The railway route begins at the Toki marshalling station, 8 km north of the port, and stretches across the entire territory of Russia along the BAM and the Trans-Siberian Railway. In 1999, the port capacity allowed it to annually handle up to 14 million tons of cargo, including 40,000 containers (TEU).
The port of Vanino mainly processes petrochemical products, wood, aluminum, coal, scrap metal, and fish products. Every year, 1.3 million tons of petrochemical products are shipped through the port from the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Refinery. Two thirds of these products are sent to Sakhalin, Kamchatka and Magadan, and a third are exported to Korea, China and Malaysia. Annual volumes of wood processing reach 1.2 million tons, of which 1 million tons are round wood. 80% of the wood is exported to Japan, and the rest to China and South Korea. At a specialized complex, 570,000 tons of alumina are processed annually, which is imported mainly from Australia and sent to the Bratsk aluminum plant (3,900 km), where electricity from the Bratsk hydroelectric power station on the Angara River is used to produce aluminum. Finished products delivered to Vanino, from where it is exported mainly to Japan, and partly to America and Southeast Asian countries. From the coal terminal, 400,000 tons of Kemerovo coal are shipped annually to Japan and Taiwan. The volume of processing of ferrous metal products and scrap also reaches 400,000 tons. These cargoes are mainly sent to the Republic of Korea, although in the last three years some quantities have also been shipped to Japan.

2) Railway network
The port of Vanino can handle up to 360 TEU from ships to platforms and send them through the Toki marshalling yard (can handle up to 170,000 wagons annually) at Komsomolsk-on-Amur on the same day. Currently, the port does not have specific rules for the formation of specialized container trains, so containers are sent even if there are only 13-15 pieces. Once every two weeks, a train with 50-60 containers leaves for Moscow and the Central Asian region.
Container trains from Vanino to Moscow and Central Asia follow the Trans-Siberian Railway, equipped with a container tracking system. The remaining cargo is transported along the BAM, a railway line with a total length of 4,300 km, passing through the taiga regions 200-500 km north of the Trans-Siberian Railway and connecting Vanino and Taishet. The bottleneck is the single-track and non-electrified section between Vanino and Komsomolsk-on-Amur, the complexity of which is predetermined by the landscape.

3) Road network
The length of the road between Vanino, Lidoga (south of Komsomolsk-on-Amur) and Khabarovsk is 500 km, of which 300 km are not paved. Transportation by road began in the fall of 1998, and the entire journey in winter takes 8 hours. It is expected that upon completion of construction work the time will be reduced to 5-6 hours.

3.1.3 Problems and challenges

In terms of railway transportation, at first glance, there is a need to build second tracks on single-track sections, as well as to implement electrification. However, for the existing cargo flow, the existing capacities are quite sufficient, so it is rather necessary to direct efforts to maintain existing opportunities, as well as measures to attract cargo. In addition, the width of the Russian railway gauge on the mainland is 1,520 mm, while on Sakhalin it is 1,067 mm, and therefore there is a need to reload wagons in Kholmsk.
In the field of road transport, the main task seems to be the development of the Vanino-Khabarovsk highway and especially the section between Vanino and Lidoga.

3.2 Trans-Siberian Transport Corridor (Trans-Siberian Container Bridge - TSCM)

3.2.1 Meaning

The Trans-Siberian Container Bridge (TSBC) is an international intermodal transport system, the sea leg of which includes transportation between the ports of Japan and the Republic of Korea and the ports of the Russian Far East (ports of Vostochny, Vladivostok and Nakhodka), and the railway section provides transportation between Russian ports and European countries and Central Asia. TSKM developed as an alternative to the sea transport route between Asia and Europe, and the peak of transportation of Japanese transit containers along the Trans-Siberian Railway was noted in 1983. To date, the volume of transit containers on this route has decreased significantly, and the question of measures to intensify its use has become acute.

3.2.2 Current status

1) Port (East)
Port Vostochny is located in the eastern part of Nakhodka Bay. Cargoes such as coal, containers, timber, wood chips, clinker, chemical fertilizers, and coke are processed here. 99% of cargo turnover consists of foreign trade cargo, and these are mainly export cargo (90-95%). The port's capacity allows it to process up to 20 million tons of cargo annually. In 1990, the port's cargo turnover was 11.4 million tons, but by 1998 it had decreased to 6.25 million tons.
The complex for processing foreign containers has two berths with a depth of 12.5 m and is equipped with four container cranes with a lifting capacity of 30.5 tons. Up to 200,000 TEU can be handled here annually, but in 1999 the volume of containers was only about 60,000 TEU.
The port has access to the Trans-Siberian Railway, and specialized container trains depart directly from Vostochny to Europe. Moreover, the port of Vostochny is connected by a container line with the port of Seattle on the west coast of the United States, which made it possible to begin the implementation of the concept of the East-West transport corridor, which involves the creation effective system transportation in the directions of the Far East - West Coast of the USA, as well as the North-Eastern provinces of China - West Coast of the USA.

2) Railway network
According to the classification of Russian railways, the Trans-Siberian Railway is a first class road with a gauge of 1,520 mm (5 ft). Throughout its entire length, with the exception of the bridge over the Amur near Khabarovsk (2,658 m), the road is double-track. 96% of the route is electrified, and work is currently underway on the only non-electrified section Bikin - Ussuriysk (417 km), and it is expected that in 2002 the road will be completely converted to electric traction.
The bridge over the Amur in the Khabarovsk region had one railway track and until recently was one of the obstacles for efficient work route. In this regard, a project for the construction of a new combined bridge, which is two-level design with a multi-track railway at the bottom and a four-lane road at upper level. The first stage of the new bridge has already been built next to the old supports. The railway part was put into operation in November 1998, and the road part in November 1999.
There are several container terminals on the Trans-Siberian Railway that can handle 40-foot containers. These terminals are located in the port of Vostochny, Vladivostok, Novosibirsk, Tyumen, Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The Trans-Siberian Railway can transport up to 1 million container units (TEU) annually. Currently, only 50-70% of the highway's capacity is used, so even with the existing infrastructure there is ample opportunity to increase the number of trains and the volume of transported cargo.

3) Road network
The development of the road network in the Russian Far East, with the exception of the Vladivostok/Nakhodka – Ussuriysk – Khabarovsk and Khabarovsk – Birobidzhan routes, is carried out at an extremely slow pace, and the Amur River is widely used for transporting goods. Before the construction of the new bridge over the Amur, trucks were transported across the river in the Khabarovsk area by ferry, which took about 40 minutes. New bridge allows you to cross the Amur in five minutes. The construction of the road that will connect Khabarovsk and Moscow is almost complete (unfinished sections remain in the Amur region). At the same time, in the Far East many roads do not yet have hard surface.

3.2.3 Problems and challenges

The reasons for the sharp decline in transportation volumes along the TSKM were the weakening of the management and coordination system for international intermodal transport; an increase in tariffs and a simultaneous decrease in the cost of sea freight; instability of delivery times (irregularity); security issues where cargo has been lost or damaged; low level of service; problems with the provision of containers and the extreme complexity of customs procedures.
To enhance the use of TSKM, it is necessary to solve such problems as simplifying registration procedures, increasing the competitiveness of TSKM as an international intermodal transport system, expanding marketing activities and restoring confidence in the route, as well as expanding connections between government agencies and the private sector.
Infrastructure development goals include completing the second stage of the bridge over the Amur, reducing the time required to cross the Polish-Belarusian border, where roads with different widths gauge, full electrification of the road and an increase in average transportation speed. It is also necessary to ensure the regular movement of container trains from the port of Vostochny, regardless of the presence or absence of cargo.

3.3 Suifenhe Transport Corridor

3.3.1 Meaning

The Suifenhe transport corridor begins at the Russian ports of Vladivostok, Nakhodka and Vostochny, passes through the Chinese border city of Suifenhe and Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang province, then in the west through the city of Manzhouli and Russian Zabaikalsk before reaching Chita, located on the Trans-Siberian Railway. This corridor gives the province access to sea routes to Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States.

3.3.2 Current situation

1) Ports
The port of Vladivostok is located in a natural bay with depths of up to 30 m, so the water area does not freeze even in winter. The port of Vladivostok consists of three ports: commercial, fishing and military. The commercial port was privatized in 1993 and is now Joint stock company"Vladivostok trade port". The port occupies berths No. 1 to No. 17 with depths of 8-13 m, the length of the berths is 4,200 m. Berths No. 16 and No. 17 are used only for container handling. The container terminal is equipped with two container cranes (30.5 t) and can handle up to 100,000 TEU per year. The depth reaches 13 m, and the length (420 m) allows simultaneous maintenance of 2 container ships. The railway lines of the commercial port have access to the Trans-Siberian Railway. Loading and unloading operations are carried out around the clock.
The port currently has four scheduled lines, including the North American Line to Seattle.
The port of Nakhodka is located on the western shore of Nakhodka Bay in a convenient natural bay, and is protected by a peninsula. It is an ice-free port with a depth of 13 m at the berths. During the Soviet period, Nakhodka was the only port in the Russian Far East open to foreign ships. The Japan-Nakhodka line was opened in 1958, and its 40th anniversary was celebrated in 1998. The line is served by regular bulk carriers, which sometimes deliver small quantities of containers.
Almost all containers transported along the TSKM are accepted by the Vostochny Port, so the share of containers in Nakhodka’s cargo turnover is insignificant. However, the port of Nakhodka has access to the Trans-Siberian Railway.

2) Railway network
The railway from the ports of the Primorsky Territory to Grodekovo on the section to Ussuriysk is electrified and has two tracks. The Ussuriysk-Grodekovo branch is single-track and is served by diesel locomotives. Since the gauges in Russia and China are different, a combined four-rail line was built between Grodekovo and Suifenhe, and cargo is transshipped at border stations. At Suifenhe station, cargo is reloaded by cranes (including one with a lifting capacity of 50 tons) and forklifts. Up to 150 wagons can be processed per day.
The line from Suifenhe to Harbin is not electrified, the Suifenhe-Mudanjiang section is single-track, and then there is a double-track road to Harbin. The Harbin-Manchuria line is also not electrified. Between Harbin and Hailar there is a double-track road, and from Hailar to Manchuria there is a single-track road.
Manchuria and Zabaikalsk are connected by one broad gauge line and one standard gauge line. Every day 8 trains (400 wagons) arrive from Russia, and approximately the same number comes from China, although there are many empty wagons in this direction. There is a principle according to which the transshipment of cargo is carried out by the receiving party, therefore cargo traveling from Russia to China is reloaded at the Manzhouli station, and cargo going to Russia is reloaded at Zabaikalsk. Directly at the Manzhouli station, mainly non-container cargo is processed, and a separate terminal was built near the station for container processing. The station's capacity is 5 million tons of cargo per year. In Zabaikalsk, containers are partially processed at a site behind the passenger station, and at some distance there is a specialized container complex.

3) Road network
The Vostochny-Nakhodka-Vladivostok-Grodekovo highway is two-lane and has an asphalt surface, and the width of the lanes is sufficient for the smooth passage of container ships. A significant number of 40-foot containers are transported between Nakhodka and Vladivostok. Near the border on the Russian side there is small area without asphalt, but this does not interfere with the movement of trailers transporting large containers. On the Chinese side, Suifenhe and Harbin are also connected by a two-lane road with an improved surface, which in some places expands to four lanes.
Chinese trucks can reach Ussuriysk, and Russian cargo carriers are allowed to go to Mudanjiang. State highway No. 301 runs from Harbin to the Chinese-Russian border in the direction of Chita. There is a customs post in the city of Manzhouli through which significant volumes of cargo pass. As far as one can judge from the Russian section when traveling by train, the road here has an asphalt surface.

3.3.3 Problems and challenges

Since the gauges in Russia and China are different, the main task seems to be to modernize and increase the efficiency of transshipment capacities.
To enhance road transport, it is advisable to expand mutual access zones for trucks. In organizational terms, it is necessary to simplify customs clearance procedures and introduce a favorable regime for transit cargo, including exemption from customs duties and the abolition of customs clearance fees.

3.4 Tumangan transport corridor

3.4.1 Meaning

The Tumangan transport corridor connects the ports of the Tumangan River region (ports of Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)) and the eastern part of Mongolia, passing through the city of Changchun in Jilin Province. The corridor has two routes: through the Russian ports of Zarubino and Posyet and through the North Korean port of Rajin.
It is expected that the Tumang Corridor will find its niche as a new route opening Jilin Province to the sea, and will be able to absorb some of the cargo currently transported along the congested Dalian transport corridor.

3.4.2 Current situation

1) Ports
Port Zarubino is conveniently located on the western shore of Trinity Bay in the central part of Posyet Bay and is protected from the sea by the Zarubina Peninsula. The total length of the berths is 650 m, and the depth at the berths currently ranges from 6.8 to 9.9 m. The port is not equipped with container cranes. The products of ferrous metallurgy enterprises and round timber, as well as Far Eastern seafood, are mainly processed here. In April 2000, an international ferry service was opened between Zarubino and the South Korean port of Sokcho.
The port of Posyet is located on the western side of Novgorodskaya Bay, 20 km west of Zarubino. The depth at the berths with a total length of 450 m is 9.5 m. Container processing is carried out at berth No. 2 using a port crane. Up to 90% of export cargo consists of coal and round timber. Since August 1999, a regular container line Posyet-Akita has been operating.
The port of Rajin can receive vessels of the 5,000-30,000 t class. The port is not equipped with specialized container cranes, and loading and unloading of containers is carried out by ordinary harbor cranes at the 7th pier of the 2nd berth (depth at the wall 9 m). A regular Rajin-Busan container line was opened in October 1995, and the Rajin-Niigata line has been operating since August 1999.

2) Railway network
Due to different gauges, direct rail transport cannot be carried out between China and Russia. Therefore, standard and broad gauge railway lines were built between Hunchun and Kraskino, and, in accordance with a bilateral agreement, international railway traffic officially opened on this section in December 1999. Trains began running in February 2000, but the line's capabilities are not fully utilized. Currently, transshipment of Chinese cargo onto Russian wagons and in the opposite direction is carried out at the Chinese transshipment station Hunchun with a capacity of 500,000 tons of cargo per year. There are long-term plans equipping the Kamyshovaya station on the Russian side with reloading equipment.

3) Road network
Work is underway to develop a section of the highway from the ports of Zarubino and Posyet to Hunchun, China. The Russian segment of the route is partially unpaved, but in general the road on both sides of the border is in satisfactory condition and does not create problems for road transport. In this direction, there are agreements that, under certain conditions, allow Chinese cars with Chinese drivers to deliver process chips to the ports of Zarubino and Posiet. Russian trucks can reach Hunchun.
The road between Rajin and Wonjong in the DPRK, especially the unpaved Sonbong-Wonjong section (46 km), runs through the mountains and becomes difficult for container ships to navigate in bad weather.

3.4.3 Problems and challenges

The most important tasks on this route are the repair of the Rajin-Wonjon road and the installation of container cranes in Zarubino. In addition, it is necessary to connect the roads of Mongolia and China as soon as possible. It is necessary to simplify customs clearance procedures and introduce preferential treatment for transit cargo, including the abolition of customs duties.

3.5 Dalian Transport Corridor

3.5.1 Meaning

This transport corridor is the main artery for China's northeastern provinces (Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang). The corridor begins at the international trade port of Dalian, passes through Harbin, the administrative center of Heilongjiang Province, and then through Manzhouli Station to the Trans-Siberian Railway. In the future, it is also planned to organize access to Heihe.

3.5.3 Problems and challenges

The most important challenge for the development of the rail segment of the corridor is to increase road capacity and equipment, since congestion is likely to remain a pressing problem in the future. Electrification of the Dalian-Harbin section has been completed, and this will allow for a 30% increase in throughput However, given the promising growth of cargo from Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, additional measures will be necessary to further increase the road capacity.
Another problem is the fact that a significant part of the container cargo arriving at the port of Dalian is reloaded here from containers into ordinary freight cars. In this regard, it is necessary to improve the container transportation system as a whole.
To activate road transport along this corridor, the speedy commissioning of the Dalian-Harbin expressway is necessary. In addition, it would be advisable to build a bridge across the Amur between Heihe and Blagoveshchensk, which would provide access to the corridor to Russia.

3.6 Transport corridor Tianjin - Mongolia

3.6.1 Meaning

The Tianjin-Mongolia transport corridor provides Mongolia with the shortest route to seaports. The main industrial and commercial centers of Mongolia are located along this route. The corridor begins in the Chinese port of Tianjin and goes through Beijing to the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar. The distance between the port of Tianjin and Ulaanbaatar is about 1,700 km. Further, the corridor, crossing the Russian-Mongolian border north of the capital, goes to Ulan-Ude where it connects with the Trans-Siberian Container Bridge.
The Tianjin-Mongolia route, being the most important route for transporting international goods for this country, is also used to transport goods between Europe and Asia through TSKM.

3.6.2 Current situation

2) Railway network
The basis of Mongolia's railway network is main line, running from north to south, seven branches extending from it, as well as a branch in the northeast of the country leading to the Trans-Siberian Railway. Mongolia's road network is underdeveloped, so 95.6% of freight turnover (1998) is by rail. Domestic railway lines mainly transport coal, the share of which in the total volume of cargo reaches 78%.
The Beijing-Ulaanbaatar-Moscow international passenger train runs along this route once a week in both directions. Also, once a week a freight train from Tianjin arrives in Mongolia, which includes both container platforms and regular freight cars.
In Mongolia, as in Russia, a broad gauge track is used, therefore, when crossing the Mongolian-Chinese border, it is necessary to reload containers and cargo, and for passenger cars, replace wheel sets.

3) Road network
The volume of road transport along the Tianjin-Mongolia corridor is insignificant. Majority highways Mongolia does not have hard surfaces. The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Asia Expressway project has identified the road running along the main railway line from Altanbulak on the Russian-Mongolian border to Zamyn-Ud on the Chinese border as Mongolia's top priority route. The length of the route is 1,021 km.

3.6.3 Problems and challenges

Due to the low level of development, the Mongolian transport infrastructure, both railway and road, is still unlikely to fully meet the requirements of the international transport route. The vast territory and small population will apparently determine the dominant role of railways in the country's transport sector. Therefore, the main attention should be paid to the development of railway transport in Mongolia.

3.7 Trans-China Transport Corridor (Trans-China Container Bridge - TCCM)

3.7.1 Meaning

The Trans-China transport corridor TCCM currently plays a connecting role between the countries of East Asia and the Central Asian region. In the future, this line will become an international intermodal transport route (mainly by rail) connecting Asia and Europe through the territory of Kazakhstan and China, and can seriously compete with the Trans-Siberian Railway.
The distance from Lianyungang Port to Alashankou is 4,158 km. Further through the territory of Kazakhstan, cargo can be delivered to Europe along several routes, both rail and road.

3.7.3 Problems and challenges

One of the problems of this corridor is that the volume of cross-border trade is growing at an accelerated pace and the transshipment infrastructure is being operated to the limit of its capabilities. In this regard, the task arises of increasing the throughput capacity of reloading equipment.
Secondly, information about the location of containers in China is available only at main railway departments and large stations, but it is impossible to track the movement of containers along the entire route. Cargo owners really hope to create a system for tracking the movement of containers in real time.
In addition, given that the distance from the port of Lianyungang to the Kazakh border is more than 4,000 km, it is advisable to organize several container sites along the route where customs clearance of goods will be carried out. Such a system will reduce the time it takes to clear goods when crossing the border. One of the pressing challenges for any border crossing is to reduce the cost and time of crossing the border.

3.9 Eastern Trans-Korean Transport Corridor

3.9.1 Meaning

The purpose of organizing this corridor is to ensure cargo transportation along the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula from Busan to the Rajin-Sonbong special trade and economic zone with further access through the DPRK-RF border and the Khasan region to the Trans-Siberian Container Bridge. This corridor is currently not operational for the same reason as the Western Trans-Korean Corridor: the disconnection of the railways of the two Korean states. In addition to expanding transport cargo flows between North and South, the development of this corridor will provide an overland route connecting the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Far East, and access to the Trans-Siberian Railway will provide additional opportunities for transporting goods from East Asia to Europe.

3.9.3 Problems and challenges

The main task, as in the case of the Western Trans-Korean transport corridor, is the speedy completion of work to connect the railways of the two Korean states. At the same time, connecting road networks also seems to be a very important task. In addition, there may be a need to modernize and develop the internal road and railway infrastructure of the DPRK. The railway network in the east of South Korea also requires further development.
The DPRK and Russia are connected only by railway, but the cargo flow on this line is recent years sharply decreased due to a drop in Russian cargo volumes. The road from the border to Chongjin is a single track with a combined track (four-rail). In order to fully utilize the capabilities of this corridor connecting the ROK, North Korea and Russia, transshipment equipment must be installed on the Russian-North Korean border.
Regarding the organizational support for the functioning of the corridor as an international one, interested countries, including the Republic of Kazakhstan, the DPRK, the PRC and Russia, must enter into transport agreements on the cost of transportation, calculation of income, and transportation insurance. It is also necessary to ensure coordination in organizing the movement of international trains, as well as guarantees of transportation safety.

Proposed development projects

The difference in the level of development of the nine NEA transport corridors is significant - from corridors that are actually in use at present to corridors that are at the stage of conceptual development. Depending on the level of development and activity of use, corridors can be divided into three categories: corridors at the formation stage, at the popularization stage and at the stage of increased use. “Establishment stage” implies that the corridor is in the early stages of development, and the main emphasis is on the creation of transport infrastructure. The corridor at the “popularization stage” already has the necessary transport infrastructure, and the main task is to attract cargo owners who need the services of international carriers. “Activation phase” refers to the stage of development when efforts are directed toward further expanding the use of an existing corridor and increasing the volume of cargo transported. In accordance with this classification, NEA transport corridors can be divided into groups as follows:
Formation stage: (3) Suifenhe Corridor, (4) Tumangan Corridor, (8) Western Trans-Korean Corridor, (9) Eastern Trans-Korean Corridor;
Popularization stage: (1) Vanino-Taishet Corridor, (6) Tianjin-Mongolia Corridor;
Activation stage: (2) TSKM Corridor, (5) Dalian Corridor, (7) TCKM Corridor.

Projects aimed at creating a transport network that would allow the transportation of goods across the entire region as freely as within one country include measures to increase the capacity of transshipment equipment at border stations, expanding mutual access zones for foreign trucks from neighboring countries, simplifying procedures, related to border crossings and the implementation of the TIR (Transport International Routiers) system.

Projects in the field of improving and expanding the container transportation system cover the development of container processing equipment in ports, the creation and improvement of land container centers, as well as the introduction of a container movement tracking system.

Projects aimed at ensuring strong and efficient connections between the regional transport system and transport networks outside NEA involve expanding the geography of shipping lines and increasing the efficiency of the intermodal transport system in the European direction.

Conclusion. Towards the implementation of the Concept of NEA transport corridors.

Development should be carried out in two directions: the development of transport infrastructure and resolving issues of organizing the transport process. Infrastructure development requires significant financial resources and the provision of funding sources. Here, in addition to the efforts of individual countries, support from international financial institutions may be needed. To solve organizational issues Coordination of efforts is necessary, as well as expansion of multilateral and bilateral contacts. This process may take long time. However, solving organizational issues, which does not require compared to solving technical issues large-scale capital investments can become an effective tool for stimulating the development and improvement of transport infrastructure.

It is expected that the successful development of the transport corridor system will lead to a significant increase in the volume of goods and flows of people crossing borders, as well as the expansion international trade through full use of the factors of geographical proximity and economic complementarity. Moreover, the existence and sustainable operation of international routes will help attract companies and investments both local and from outside the region. In order to accelerate economic development and intensify international cooperation in the region, it is necessary to improve and expand NEA transport corridors to the level of trade and economic corridors that would closely link the development of transport infrastructure with production, trade and other development processes.

International transport corridors are important for every country. This is assessed not only from the point of view of commercial benefits, but from the broader perspective of national security, its components such as: military, economic, industrial, technological, food, demographic.

Proof of necessity integrated approach is also the fact that international transport corridors pass through sections of the most densely populated national transport corridors.

This, on the one hand, helps reduce the cost of transportation, increase financial opportunities for modernization and development of elements of shared infrastructure, but on the other hand, it imposes increased requirements for synchronizing the traffic schedule, compliance with safety measures, and also determines the limit that can be allocated for international transportation without disrupting internal trade, which is the basis for any state.

It is from these systemic positions that Russia’s state transport policy should be built in relation to international transport corridors, both its own and corridors formed by its competitors. In this regard, Russia’s position should not differ from the positions of other countries that are aggressively and systematically involved in integration into the world economy, including in the field of transport, and openly set themselves the goal of obtaining the greatest benefit from this integration.

Currently, three global economic poles have formed in the world: the European Union, North-East, East and Southeast Asia, North America. Russia, unfortunately, is not yet one of the economic poles, despite all the objective prerequisites.

Therefore, our task is to change the situation, including by using the opportunities provided by the globalization of the world economy and its mechanisms in the form of international transport corridors.

The main international transport routes connecting Europe and Asia and not passing through Russia are:

Southern water route passing through three oceans: Pacific, Indian, Atlantic, encircling Africa;

The southern water route, also passing through three oceans, but through the Suez Canal;

International transport corridor “Southern”: South- East Europe- Turkey - Iran with branches to: Central Asia - China and South Asia - Southeast Asia - South China.

The TRACECA international transport corridor under construction: Eastern Europe - Black Sea - Caucasus - Caspian Sea - Central Asia.

International transport corridors passing within the borders of Russia:"East-West" or "Trans-Siberian": Europe-Russian Federation-Japan with branches from Russian Federation to: Kazakhstan-China; Mongolia and China; Korean Peninsula.

The middle and main link of this corridor is the powerful, double-track, electrified Trans-Siberian Railway.

The eastern one has a sea link to the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, as well as access to the northeastern provinces of China and the Korean Peninsula.

The latter branch is capable of providing significant container cargo transit from South Korea. Now Korea supplies containers to Russia by sea via Vladivostok with a volume of several tens of thousands of pieces, and is able to increase this by an order of magnitude due to its own industry. But we must also take into account the fact that Korea benefits significantly when it collects international transit to Europe from other coastal countries in Asia in its port of Busan and becomes a serious transit country with all the ensuing consequences.

Japan supplies the Trans-Siberian Railway for transit with a symbolic volume of containers, less than 10 thousand pieces, which is not comparable with the number of containers that it sends by water in a roundabout way.

The possibility of organizing an economically profitable land connection with Korea, practically without intermediaries, is provided by a 17-kilometer section of the land border between Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The Western Exit of the Trans-Siberian Railway" is a wide distributed access to the land border of Russia with European countries.

Important for Russia in the context of global competition is access directly to the Baltic coast. It provides the opportunity for direct trade with the Baltic states, and also provides access to the World Ocean.

International transport corridor“North-South”: Northern Europe-Russia-Iran-India has branches to the Caucasus-Persian Gulf; Central Asia. This corridor uses the deep-water Volga-Don river system.

The third international corridor running within the borders of Russia is the “Northern Sea Route” (NSR): Europe - countries of the Asia-Pacific region.

The corridor runs along the coast of the Arctic Ocean. It is capable of ensuring not only international transit between Europe and Asia, but also the unhindered access of products from the territories of Siberia and the Far East through the great Siberian rivers Ob, Lena and especially the Yenisei, to Russia’s foreign economic partners.

It should be noted that on the territory of Russia, historically, the largest transport crossroads of the continent, “Transsib-TransVolga”, has developed, when the most powerful Eurasian railway line, in a broad front, simultaneously reaches a whole cascade of large Volga cities, leading scientific and industrial centers of the country, such as: Yaroslavl, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Ulyanovsk, Samara, Saratov, Volgograd.

Another corridor that has not yet been implemented is the Great Water Ring of Europe: r. Volga - r. Don – Sea of Azov – Black Sea – r. Danube - r. Main - r. Rhine-Baltic Sea - r. Volga with branches to: a network of European side rivers and canals of the Caspian Sea.

This ring has a unique significance not only and not so much for international freight transport, although they can be significant for internal European countries, but for international tourism. This route allows you to get acquainted with history and modernity, the diverse cultural heritage of Russia and Europe. There is no doubt that this corridor will have good economic development.

The impact of international transport corridors on a country's national security depends on the functions they perform.

The direct functions of international transport corridors are to serve export-import transport, as well as international transit.

All other manifestations are a multiplier effect with the joint impact of international and national transport corridors on the components of national security.

For neighboring states, the problem of unhindered communication has never been a problem. For countries that do not directly border, this condition is critical. Therefore, distant international trading partners try to choose routes with a minimum number of intermediate countries, with their border barriers, varied political situations, and monetary fees.

Another basic function of international transport corridors is to provide international transit. Currently, the role of Eurasian land transit has increased sharply. This is explained by the avalanche-like growth in trade turnover between Europe and Asia.

At the same time, Europe has now actually reached the limit in the development of its industrial potential in volume terms to satisfy domestic demand. Further development of production in Europe is associated only with an increase in exports to other regions of the world, primarily to Asia.

Based on the economic benefits that servicing international transit provides, many countries are fighting for international transport corridors to pass through their territories. However, what bigger country, the more developed its industrial production and internal production cooperation are, the more capacious the domestic market is, the smaller the share of income from international transit in relation to the gross domestic product.

International transport corridors, together with national ones, influence industrial, food, demographic, military and technological security.

This is due not only to the globalization of the world economy and the transfer of industrial enterprises from Europe to Asia, but also to the need to comply with uniform international standards for all types of services on the international transport corridor.

Increased requirements for the quality of transport infrastructure and vehicles force us to improve the quality of manufacturing of transport equipment.

Increasing requirements of international competition oblige us to introduce total control over the passage of every container, every moving vehicle, and to switch to logistics methods of servicing cargo flows based on the synchronous interaction of all modes of transport, transshipment complexes, customs and border services. Information and analytical systems and space navigation are connected to the transportation process. Transport and transhipment logistics centers are becoming points of technological activity.

A guarantee of technological success Asian countries There was a state technology policy, as a result of which only those international companies that imported only the most advanced technologies into the country were selected for operation. Therefore, there is every reason to assert that, with the right government policy, international transport corridors are conductors of technological breakthroughs.

For Russia, the high technological requirements of international transport corridors, strong domestic demand in the field of transport, and a correctly chosen state transport policy taking into account technological requirements can provide a solution to the fundamental task of ensuring the technological security of Russia.

Military security is directly related to the saturation of the territory with railways, roads, inland waterways, ports, airports, other transport service facilities, and the very configuration of the railway and road network.

It was the issues of military security and the preservation of the territorial integrity of Russia that were the main ones during the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway.

International transport corridors, as a rule, become basic national corridors, on the basis of which a cyclic type backbone transport network, the so-called backbone transport grid, is formed.

The Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and Russia have all the natural opportunities for intensive development and ensuring national security in the raw materials, industrial, food, military and transport sectors. It should be noted that the factor of military protection was one of the determining factors when choosing a railway gauge in Russia that was different from the European one.

The Transport Strategy of the Russian Federation for the period until 2020 provides a comprehensive answer to ensuring national security with its key project - the construction of the North Siberian Railway.

This highway is the missing, central link of the North-Russian Eurasian International Transport Corridor, which will cross the entire country north of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Therefore, the Transport Strategy clearly states the requirement - “to provide for the construction of the North Siberian Railway as soon as possible.”

Formation of a new northern industrial belt of Russia, which is a guarantee of breakthrough development of the Russian economy for the coming decades.

Strengthening demographic potential eastern territories, due to population migration to the area of economic activity.

Russia has one single goal - to achieve a standard of living, like in Europe, and one single goal - to achieve the pace of economic development, like in Asia.

At the same time, almost all Asian countries have an enviable development rate for Russia. The fact that in Russia, out of 20 special economic zones declared over the course of fifteen years, not a single one is in effect only speaks of the clumsiness of domestic legislation, which is not beneficial to the economy and population of the country. And this is against the backdrop of the fact that throughout the world free economic zones are massive (about 2000) points of intense economic growth and development of depressed regions. They are successfully used in both developing and developed countries.

At the same time, the countries of the EU and South Asia are preparing other projects for international transport corridors bypassing Russia. It should be noted that none of the alternative projects, objectively, based on natural and geographical factors, outperforms the North-South corridor. And, nevertheless, activity in the formation of bypass foreign projects exists.

When considering initiatives that are dangerous for Russia, one must very carefully evaluate their declared and hidden goals.

An example of such a project is investment project“Development of transport and related infrastructure in Russia as an integrated component of the global transport system” (project “Bundle”).

It was developed by the International Academy and formulates a proposal for the creation of a Trans-Russian consolidated infrastructure.

The authors propose, through the creation of a Trans-Russian consolidated infrastructure, consisting of railways, highways, communication systems, overpasses, to create a general economic and social effect, to ensure the resettlement of Russian citizens, primarily retired military personnel, to sparsely populated areas of Siberia and the Far East. And this should be assessed positively.

To achieve this, it is proposed to form a transport bridge from Europe to the American continent across the Bering Strait.

But at the same time, the project contains internal contradictions. Thus, the authors propose to develop the regions of the Asian part of Russia bordering China and Korea, while arguing that it is not advisable to develop remote territories, including from a defense point of view. In this regard, they criticize the plan to build the Baikal-Amur Mainline.

To this it should be noted that it was from this point of view that the Trans-Siberian Railway was originally planned and built. History has confirmed the correctness of this strategic decision.

Moreover, statesmen Russia has always argued that it needs two or three strategic latitudinal railway lines crossing the entire country from east to west. The first such highway should be the road duplicating the border Trans-Siberian Railway. BAM is part of this rocky road.

The authors propose to involve retired military personnel in transport construction. This method is not new. Moreover, military builders, railway troops, etc. were involved in this kind of grandiose construction in all countries, including Russia. In the USA, the Corps of Military Engineers was and is still engaged in these issues.

The use of construction materials and prisoners is also not new in world practice.

The authors propose to use abandoned military camps for the settlement of civilians and the development of economic activities in them. This is not only advisable, but also necessary for Russia. A total of 16 subprojects are being introduced. And so they force us to more carefully evaluate the goals of the entire project.

Thus, subproject No. 1 proposes to establish “collection of information (including data obtained in a confidential manner). Carrying out system analysis the obtained data, taking into account the economic and geopolitical (including the tasks provided for by the mobilization plans) interests of Russia.”

Subproject No. 2 proposes the development and implementation of expert assessment concept for creating a consolidated transport infrastructure of the Russian Federation, uniting into a single system railway tracks, highways, runways of local cargo-passenger airlines, energy and product pipelines, communication lines and support elements: settlements, terminals, trade and household establishments and having a unified system of management and ensuring operational safety. This direction of the “Bundle” project raises big questions.

Subprojects No. 3 and 5 on assessing the potential of the workforce from among prisoners and from among dismissed military personnel, subproject No. 8 on assessing abandoned and unused military camps, are in fact a collection of classified information.

This conclusion is confirmed by the composition of the working meeting of the management of the financial engineering corporation CDI (Sussy) SA and the International Academy of Sciences on national security issues, held on July 28, 2004 in Moscow. In particular, the director of CDI (Switzerland) is Larry Ken Fischer, a former intelligence analyst for the US Navy.

The document proposes project No. 13 (connecting the infrastructure of Russia with the CIS and Baltic countries), which simply cannot be such, since technically the transport networks of these states constituted the common transport infrastructure of a single state. On harmonization of transport legislative framework Negotiations are held and relevant agreements are concluded.

Project No. 16 for the construction of a railway connecting Russia and Alaska through a tunnel under the Bering Strait with the subsequent creation of a “Zone of joint economic use and development, including Alaska, the Northern Territories of Canada, Washington state, Chukotka, Kamchatka, the Magadan region, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands can be considered only as a consistent annexation of raw materials, sparsely populated regions of Russia.

The fact that the proposed project plans to deploy work “in accordance with the requirements of the OSCE and other international humanitarian organizations”, and financing will be carried out through “loans from foreign financial institutions” proves that the proposed project is not introduced in the interests of the Russian Federation, moreover, it represents threat to national security. The economic indicators of the project's effectiveness are in no way justified.

All this indicates the need for careful consideration of all proposed projects.

The assessment of the impact of international corridors on national security, their current state, as well as the challenges of globalization allows us to draw the following conclusions:

1. A dynamic, systematic, science-backed state transport policy in the field of international transport corridors is needed.

Russia needs to timely introduce initiatives for the development of the ITC and proactively respond to the challenges and threats associated with the ITC, participating in the formation of the common transport system of the continent.

2. The Trans-Siberian Railway has development prospects, but does not completely solve the problem of national security, much less the task of doubling GDP while maintaining the momentum in subsequent periods.

3. A key, uncontested international transport corridor, resolving issues security and economy is the main project of the Transport Strategy of the Russian Federation for the period 2020, the formation of the Northern Russian International Transport Corridor, or rather its missing central link - the North Siberian Railway.

4. The solution to the problem of the North-South ITC depends only on Russia itself, on the state transport policy in this region.

Russia does not use the world experience of such a fail-safe mechanism for increasing the efficiency of international transport corridors (their transshipment hubs and the most important directions) and at the same time accelerating the development of the economy as free economic zones

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