BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 21. The European Bank
for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is conducting a research of
Sustainable Transport Connections between Asia and Europe funded by
the European Commission, Zsuzsanna Hargitai, EBRD Managing Director
for Central Asia, advised Trend.
According to the managing director, the research, which needs to be
finalized by summer time 2023, is aiming to determine essentially the most
sustainable transport connections between the Central Asian states
and the prolonged Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).
“It has two targets: to determine essentially the most sustainable
transport corridors connecting the 5 Central Asian states with
the EU’s TEN-T, together with the Caucasus, and to suggest actions for
their growth, together with the precise infrastructure investments
and vital enabling atmosphere,” she defined.
As Hargitai identified, till not too long ago, the primary route linking
North-East Asia with Europe was the Eurasian Northern Corridor.
“It was utilizing Trans-Siberian railway from Russia’s Far East with
its branches going via Kazakhstan and Mongolia. The Middle or
Transcaspian Corridor operating via the territory of Kazakhstan
is usually thought of to be the second-best land-based choice,
regardless of not being an entire various to the Northern one.
Should this hall change into a extra most popular new route for freight
corporations, a diversion of transit cargo exceeding 10 % of the
Northern Corridor’s tonnage would require giant funding throughout
your entire hall and its financial effectivity is but to be
assessed,” she mentioned.
According to Hargitai, the EBRD is already working with
transport and logistical corporations alongside the Middle Corridor such
as Kazakhstan’s Temirservice Astana.
“This is an operator of the primary non-public railway station in
Kazakhstan. Last yr the Bank additionally signed a memorandum of
understanding with a sea port of Aktau. The EBRD is contemplating a
mortgage, which is able to help the modernization of cargo dealing with
gear and associated port infrastructure,” the managing director
added.
