Transport Is King

The member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) have decided to expand the list of priority infrastructure projects to include, in particular, expanding the capacity of the railway line from Nevel (Pskov Region) to Gatchina (Leningrad Region) and further on to the ports of Northwest Russia. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced this at the meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council.

At the same time, he said, the introduction of electronic document flow at seaport checkpoints must be accelerated. Such a comprehensive approach will help “increase the capacity of existing routes and, accordingly, freight volumes.” In particular, it will make it possible to raise cargo shipments from Belarus to the ports to 20 million tons per year.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, Head of the Russian part of the High-Level Group of the Council of Ministers of the Union State, spoke about joint Russian-Belarusian transport projects at a press conference.
According to him, the decision to launch commuter rail services on the Smolensk–Orsha and Smolensk–Vitebsk routes has proved effective. Since April, more than 55,000 passengers have used them, twice the forecast.

“Within the High-Level Group, we will likely be deciding this winter on expanding the geography of commuter rail services between our countries. We will open routes between Velikiye Luki and Vitebsk, and between Velikiye Luki and Polotsk,” Alexei Overchuk said. The restoration of commuter rail services between Bryansk and Gomel is also being considered.

The Deputy Prime Minister noted that conventional maritime shipping is ceasing to be a reliable mode of transport today. “Everyone is looking to the revival of overland routes—the overland routes of Eurasia. In this regard, a very important decision was taken today to expand the carrying capacity of Russian Railways in order to provide better service to EAEU member states in delivering goods from our partner countries to the ports of St. Petersburg and Northwest Russia. There will be a significant expansion of carrying capacity here. Naturally, this work fits into our concept of developing the North–South Corridor,” he said.

In particular, Alexei Overchuk mentioned the restoration of two sections of the South Caucasus Railway (operated by Russian Railways under a concession). “We are ready to take part and help Armenia here in terms of ensuring transport connectivity from Yeraskh to Nakhchivan and from Gyumri to the border with Turkey. These decisions were made at the presidential level back in January, and we are waiting to see how the Armenian side responds,” he noted.

Alexei Overchuk called the start of work on a Moscow–Minsk high-speed railway a landmark decision. A memorandum to this effect was signed during the October 1 meeting. “In principle, we understand how the terms of reference and preparatory documentation will be financed. And we will gradually move on to the practical implementation of this project,” the Russian Deputy Prime Minister said. According to him, the travel time will be about three hours, which will turn the two capitals into a single urban agglomeration.

Dmitry Koptev