The Kaliningrad Region in the System of Global Transport Corridors: On the Prospects of the Region’s Development as a Transportation Hub

Abstract

Being the mainstay of intraregional freight and passenger traffic and international trade conducted by Russian economic entities, the Kaliningrad transport network is seeking its place in the transit industry. The regional transport network’s potential to become a transportation hub will largely depend on the implementation of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which is designed to create a single trade corridor carrying east-west commodity traffic. Today, there are four global projects aiming to create a transport link between Asia-Pacific (first of all, China) and the countries of Western Europe. In this article, we analyse the feasibility of proposed transportation projects and consider their effect on the Kaliningrad region’s transport network. Our methodology rests on an analytical comparison of the projects from the perspective of their practicality and completion periods. Our findings suggest that the implementation of certain projects will impede the region’s integration into global transport corridors. However, it is very unlikely that these projects will be completed in a mid-term perspective. It is more realistic to expect the implementation of transportation projects that treat the Kaliningrad region as an important transportation hub.