alternatives to the Trans-Siberian
quality coal and anthracite, are well placed to supply the raw materials required. Reducing freight transit times is another factor behind the development of these lines. The Central Asian rail network has the potential to attract traffic away from deep sea container routes from China to the Middle East and Central Europe which suffer from long and arduous journeys; it can take two or three days alone to transit between Western China and the seaboard, which is followed by a journey that rounds the Singapore Peninsula and has to overcome the congested sea lanes through the Red Sea,
to Astana Seyfullin
Sayak nty Dostyk Aktogay
Afghanistan’s slowly-developing railway network, which launched services in 2011, could become a key link on a future traffic corridor from China to the Middle East and Europe. Photo: David Brice
Zhetygen Chu Bishkek Rybachye dizhan d myk JIKISTAN e d Kashgar CHINA KYRGYZSTAN Turugart Kara-Suu Aksu Almaty Korgas
Suez and Bosphorus, all the while being conscious of Somali pirates. However, crossing borders is a major potential difficulty for railfreight given the number of transit countries on the proposed routes, and will add to the time and cost of transporting goods overland. And despite being a longer journey, the price of seafreight has also fallen dramatically following the financial crisis of 2008-09 meaning that for many industries it remains the most cost-effective means of transporting goods from China to the west.
Sheer cost The sheer cost of building N PAKISTAN 0 km 200 IRJ February 2013 IRJ
infrastructure, particularly that capable of penetrating the Kyrgyzstan Mountains, was a previous barrier to detailed planning of the Kyrgyzstan - Uzbekistan route, while gauge change will be necessary on this line, further increasing journey times. In contrast the Tajik route is
largely valley and easier to navigate. At present Tajikistan has only three unconnected lines into Uzbekistan which need integration. A study of potential traffic is taking place for the route, a development in which Iran is showing much
for this route is that Afghanistan’s standard-gauge network will enable it to connect with rail networks to the west. The Chinese system is also standard-gauge, so if the missing links are built to these standards, and some
In addition to aiding Chinese export trade, the driving force for these developments is heavy industrial growth in Urumqi and Kashgar in Western China.
interest, while the United States is gauging the potential of an additional supply route. In addition, the project is listed by the ADB as a future possibility, while Tajikistan is very keen to link up with neighbouring rail networks as a means to export its raw materials. A journey along the route last year elicited information that completion of the route is a Chinese regional objective, but not yet adopted nationally. The over-arching potential
dual gauge is added in Tajikistan from Kurgan-tube to Vahdat, a China - Middle East - Europe standard-gauge corridor can be created. While the Trans-Siberian
will remain the most attractive corridor for traffic from China to Europe, intermediate traffic is better suited to this alternative surface route, which has the potential to offer competition to the Trans- Siberian’s current stranglehold on all trans-Asian rail movements. IRJ
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