On April 22, 2021, TRACECA participated in the UIC webinar dedicated to the study of the Eurasian rail traffic with focus on the development of the Middle and South Corridors

At the meeting, Mr. François Davenne, UIC Director General highlighted the success of the development of the Northern Route, in the framework of which traffic volumes increased from insignificant levels to more than 700 trains per month.

During the webinar, it was mentioned that the Middle and South Corridors can go in the same direction, despite the fact that they are currently in the early stages of development. The growth probably will not come from the countries that have historically developed the Northern Corridor, as the Northern Route remains more economical for them.

Moreover, the growth in the Middle and South Corridors will be provided by the countries, such as Turkey, Iran or Southeast Asia, where the Middle and South Corridors are the logical and only railway route. It is clear that good infrastructure and the necessary political stability will be required in order to ensure sufficient reliability, frequency, and smooth operation.

The participants of the webinar agreed that with the right conditions and level of cooperation, the Middle and South Corridors can become as successful as the Northern Corridor, thereby contributing to the logistics system.

Financial incentives and cooperation between various stakeholders are also a prerequisite for increasing trade volumes along these routes.

Mr. Asset Assavbayev, TRACECA Secretary General, in his turn noted the importance of the study in the light of the global struggle for container flows, which became relevant after the announcement of the "One Belt, One Road" Initiative by China in 2013 that contributed to the development of transcontinental traffic.

"The Permanent Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Commission TRACECA also pays great attention to the development of container transport, where the coordination of the initiatives of the corridor countries and the policies of the European Union play a significant role," – Mr. A. Assavbayev noted.

In addition, TRACECA is finalizing the Concept for the Development of Container Transport up to 2030 in order to develop container transport, where it is important to focus on the technical and commercial conditions for the transport of goods by container trains, and is also working to eliminate existing barriers, unify approaches to determining tariffs within an ad-hoc working group.

The outcomes of the webinar are available on the UIC website via link: Eurasian rail traffic development: https://uic.org/events/eurasian-rail-traffic-development-uic-presents-opportunities-and-challenges-for