Barry Cable Director Transport and Tourism Division

1. 1st Expert Group Meeting on Developing Euro-Asian Transport Linkages 9-11 March 2004, Alamaty Kazakhstan Strategy for Further Development of Euro-Asian Transport Linkages Barry CableDirectorTransport and Tourism Division

2. Background to “Developing Euro-Asian Transport Linkages” • Developing countries constrained by inadequate transport infrastructure, legislation that differs from one country to another and time-consuming border procedures • Opportunities for interregional transport not fully explored • Five regional Commissions • “Capacity-building in developing interregional land and land-cum-sea transport linkages” (2002-2006).

3. Expected accomplishments • To identify important existing and potential interregional transport linkages • To strengthen the capacities of national officials • To put in operation efficient interregional transport linkages.

4. Strategic Vision for Euro-Asian Transport Links • 2000, UNECE and UNESCAP put forward their “Common ECE/ESCAP Strategic Vision for Euro-Asian Transport Links” at the Second International Euro-Asian Conference on Transport • 2001, with modification adopted by the UNECE Inland Transport Committee • 2003, Third International Euro-Asian Conference on Transport endorses the vision as eventually “integrated and harmoniously functioning Euro-Asian transport system” • Euro-Asian Corridors identified

5. Major Euro-Asian Corridors identified Transsiberian: Europe (PETCs 2, 3 and 9) – Russian Federation Japan, with branches to: • Kazakhstan – China and Korean peninsula; • Mongolia – China. TRACECA: Eastern Europe (PETCs 4, 7, 8, 9) – across Black Sea – Caucasus – across Caspian Sea – Central Asia. Southern: South-eastern Europe (PETC 4) – Turkey – Islamic Republic of Iran, with branches from Iran to: • Central Asia – China; • South Asia – South-East Asia/Southern China. North-South: North Europe (PETC 9) – Russian Federation, with branches to: • Caucasus – Persian Gulf; • Central Asia – Persian Gulf; • Across the Caspian Sea – Islamic Republic of Iran – Persian Gulf.

6. Strategy for the Euro-Asian transport system development • Formulation of integrated intermodal international Euro-Asian transport routes/corridors and networks. • Formalization through international agreements or amendments to existing ones, as a basis for their coordinated development. • Facilitation of transport at border-crossing based on relevant international conventions • Establishing national transport/trade facilitation committees • Analysis of routes/corridors to identify physical and non-physical barriers • Operationalization through efficient arrangements and mechanisms for each international route

7. Strategy for the Euro-Asian transport system development • Introduction/development of modern information technology. • Development of transport logistics. • Development of Public-Private Partnerships • Further development of efficient cooperation between international and other organizations involved. • Particular attention to be given to needs of landlocked countries and economies in transition.

8. Major outputs of the project Infrastructure • Routes (rail, road, intermodal) within each of the Euro-Asian Transport corridors identified • Set of alternative transport routes (where appropriate) for each participating country identified; • Agreements on the routes reached between the countries concerned.

9. Major outputs of the project Facilitation/Border crossing • National Trade and Transport Facilitation Committees established/ strengthened in the countries (TOR, Work Plans, Protocols…); • Actions initiated/persued to introduce and implement major relevant international conventions (UNECE, UNESCAP resolution 48/11...); • Border-crossing points and route specific problems identified

10. Major outputs of the project Development needs identified • Major physical and non-physical barriers identified through the UNESCAP methodology for international transport route analysis, including costs and time issues; • Possibility of transport of ISO and non-ISO (high cube) containers along each of Euro-Asian transport routes established (including container terminals, ICO, transshipment points/nodes); • Priority development needs (needs of common domestic and international importance) identified; • Possible Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) approaches suggested; • Operation cooperative arrangements suggested;

11. Formulation of interregional transport linkages UNECE-UNESCAP-National Focal Points • Extension of Pan-European Transport Corridors (PETCs) towards Asia • Extension of Asian transport routes to Europe • Euro-Asian Transport corridors, a starting point along with • UNECE European Agreement on Main International Traffic Arteries (AGR) and UNESCAP Asian Highway • UNECE European Agreement on Main International Railway Lines (AGC) and UNESCAP Trans-Asian Railway as the basis for the route alignments. • TRACECA-ECO-OSJD Euro-Asian links also considered

12. Limitations to identification of linkages • Not all links in these networks included in but only those most relevant within the four corridors. • Countries are invited to propose routes considered Euro-Asian importance. • Intermodal perspective, inland water routes and major seaports should also be considered together with inland container depots and border crossing facilities • Focus on container traffic. • At least three major origin/destination points in Europe (Central, Northern and Southern Europe) should be identified and agreed upon as basis for analysis. • Air transport be excluded at the present time.

13. Considerations in identifying linkages • Corridor “Transsiberian” • Only railway routes to be considered ? • Corridor “TRACECA” • Railway-cum-sea (across the Caspian and Black Seas) route only ?; • Corridor “Southern” • Rail, road and intermodal (rail-cum-road) routes; • Routes through South Asia and South-East Asia to China to be considered in follow-up phase of project. • Corridor “North-South” • Railway and rail-cum-sea (Caspian Sea) route; • Clarification should be sought with regard to roads.

14. Project schedule - 2004 • Identification of routes (March – July 2004) • technical specifications of the infrastructure; • operational information, including estimated traffic volume; and • Current/ongoing investment projects on routes • UNECE and UNESCAP have prepared a draft questionnaire for consideration • As far as possible, the secretariat will provide the NFPs with data available to assist • Consolidation/analysis of data (July – Sept 2004) • Presentation of preliminary results (October 2004)

15. Prioritization of investment projects • Countries develop inventory of national projects • UNECE/UNESCAP consolidate at interregional level • Prioritization • Consensus on linkages/route alignments • Constitute elements of the corridors • Included in UNECE/UNESCAP networks • Do not meet minimum standards for international traffic • Identified as a time/cost bottleneck

16. UNESCAP time-cost methodology to isolate, identify bottlenecks Time/cost Distance

17. UNESCAP time-cost methodology to isolate, identify bottlenecks Time/ cost Transport to border Distance

18. UNESCAP time-cost methodology to isolate, identify bottlenecks Time/ cost Border crossing Distance

19. UNESCAP time-cost methodology to isolate, identify bottlenecks Transport to sea port Time/ cost Distance

20. UNESCAP time-cost methodology to isolate, identify bottlenecks Wait at sea port Time/ cost Distance

21. UNESCAP time-cost methodology to isolate, identify bottlenecks Sea transport Time/ cost Distance

22. UNESCAP time-cost methodology to isolate, identify bottlenecks Time/ cost Distance

23. Comparison of border crossing time (hours) 300 250 200 Border 150 100 50 0 Lao-Thai Lao- Mongolia- Mongolia- Uzbekistan- Nepal- India Kazakhstan- Vietnam China Russia Russia Turkmenistan Average Maximum

24. Comparison of border crossing costs (US$ per TEU) Cost/TEU $650 $700 $600 $500 $400 $293 $300 $200 $155 $131 $124 $200 $100 $100 $0 Mongolia- Nepal- India *Uzbekistan- Lao-Thai Lao- Mongolia- *Kazakhstan- Vietnam Turkmenistan China Russia Russia

25. Project schedule - 2005 • Facilitation of transport along the Euro-Asian transport linkages (2005) • Analysis of transit times and costs along routes • cost/time/distance analysis be conducted to assess the physical and non-physical bottlenecks • Capacity building and strengthening of implementation of the major international transport agreements and conventions by countries • series of national (and/or subregional) workshops • Strengthening of national trade/transport facilitation committees

26. Project schedule - 2006 • Establishment of a database with contact details of responsible experts and institutions involved in the Euro-Asian development aspects in consultation with member states, other development agencies and offices of the UN system. • Creation of a website for the project (already initiated). • Organization of workshop for sharing lessons learned across the Regional Commissions.

27. Thank you for your attention