History and prospects of the international East – West transport corridor

Abstract

T he Russian Federation has a promising transport potential, which requires the development of the transport infrastructure of Siberia and the Far East. The implementation of certain eastern transport projects has a long history. For two centuries, both Russian and foreign politicians, transport specialists, and enthusiasts have put forward infrastructural programmes for the development of the East of the country and the expansion of transport accessibility of its distant borders. The improvement of the infrastructure of the Northern Sea Route (NSR), the expansion of the railway and highway networks, the construction of a number of complex engineering structures, such as bridges and tunnels, the expansion of combined water and land transportation, and the increase in the number of border crossings enhance the international importance of Russian transport. Combining all promising transport projects into a single comprehensive programme creates conditions for expanding transport links between the world’s leading economic centres. The successful development of the East–West transport corridor in modern conditions opens up new opportunities for Russia, which should be paid closer attention to.
Russian and foreign literature provides a historical retrospective of individual promising infrastructure projects for the development of the Far Eastern and Siberian sections of the East–West transport corridor. No single, comprehensive study has been undertaken to date.