Competitive Advantages and Disadvantages of Trans-Siberian Railway Route -Case study of Korea and Japan-

Abstract

TSR (Trans-Siberian Railway) route is losing price competitiveness versus Deep Sea route in the transportation from East Asia to Europe, including Moscow. To further attracting the containers to the TSR route, it will be necessary (1) to keep competitive through rate, linked to fluctuating Deep Sea rate; (2) to strengthen speed advantage; (3) to enforce seamless transportation system, including simplified customs clearance procedures. In transportation to Central Asia from East Asia (Korea and Japan), TSR is competitive versus TCR (Trans-China Railway), depending on destinations. Korea has been the leader in revitalizing the TSR route since 2000. Key contributors were affluent export containers to Russia and Central Asia, port of Busan, efficient maritime transport network to Far East Russia, and Korean forwarders’ persistent efforts for activating the market. Korea and Japan have a possibility of cooperation in using the TSR route efficiently, such as organizing a joint block train to a same destination.