Euro-Asian Transport Linkages: Operationalisation of Inland Transport between Europe and Asia

This publication is the outcome of work of the UNECE Group of Experts on Euro-Asian Transport Links (EATL) in phase III of the project (2013-2017). The report was drafted by a consultant from the Scientific and Research Institute of Motor Transport (NIIAT) in Moscow and is focused both at coordination and facilitation of financing of infrastructural projects, as well as facilitating and removing physical and administrative bottlenecks at border crossings in overland transport between Europe and Asia. The report is a particularly useful tool for transport policy-makers from Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and transit countries in the Euro-Asian region and beyond, in that it, inter alia: i) Identifies and describes main commodity groups for the transport of which inland modes of transport can compete with maritime and aviation modes (incl. non-containerized, containerized and high-value containerized cargo); ii) Provides analysis showing the economic advantage (in terms of time and costs) of inland routes compared to air or maritime routes; and iii) Identifies the current strengths and weaknesses and lists several recommendations to make inland routes more competitive vis-a-vis the other modes. The EATL project's principal value to the market is that it paved the way for the operation of container "block trains". The development of the block trains, the so called "highways of railways" made the Euro-Asian corridors operational, serving as a regular mechanism controlled by the market that evaluates the service levels and requests for greater facilitation, cooperation and investment.