North-south Transport Research Articles

Development of trade relations between Russia and India under international sanctions on the basis of the North-South transport corridor

The object of the study is trade relations between Russia and India in the context of modern economic and political conditions, including the impact of the international North-South transport corridor and international sanctions. The subject of the study is a detailed analysis of the dynamics, problems and prospects of these relations, with an emphasis on recent changes in the global political situation and their impact on bilateral trade. The author examines in detail various aspects of trade relations, such as imbalance, diversification and strategic cooperation. Particular attention is paid to the role of the North-South ITC in strengthening economic ties. The study also addresses the issues of parallel imports and the possibility of expanding cooperation in the field of high technologies. The novelty of the study lies in a comprehensive analysis of the existing conditions and prospects for the development of trade between the two countries. This analysis includes exploring opportunities for further strengthening and expanding cooperation, as well as providing valuable insights and strategic recommendations. In conclusion, the study highlights that despite existing obstacles such as infrastructure restrictions and sanctions, there is significant potential for strengthening trade relations between Russia and India, which can contribute to sustainable economic growth and cooperation between the two countries, opening up new horizons for bilateral trade and investment.

New Trends and Prospects for the Development of the North-South International Transport Corridor

Russia’s participation in the formation of corridors in international traffic has become an important state task in recent years. In the context of sanctions from the EU and the US, the use of the usual directions of cargo transportation has become more complicated. Russia has become the leader in terms of the number of sanctions imposed against it, their main goal is to cause significant damage to the country’s economy. Against this background, serious logistical restrictions have arisen, and the routing of cargo flows has generally changed. It is no longer possible to count on the previous routes of cargo flows, they need to be reoriented to other routes. One of such tasks will be the implementation of the North-South ITC project. This route, which starts in St. Petersburg and ends in the port of Mumbai (India), is designed to improve logistics between the Russian Federation and the countries of the Persian Gulf and South Asia. An analysis of the current state of the North-South international transport corridor (NS ITC) is given. The North-South Corridor is one of the most important historical corridors connecting Europe and Russia with Iran and the countries of South Asia. The North-South ITC will allow to restore some transport chains and increase cargo turnover, even taking into account the restrictions and sanctions imposed by the US and the EU. The North-South transport corridor can also solve the fundamental problem of our export competitiveness in the growing markets of India and China.

КАСПИЙСКИЙ РЕГИОН КАК ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИЙ ЦЕНТР «БОЛЬШОЙ ЕВРАЗИИ»: ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ МЕЖДУНАРОДНОГО СОТРУДНИЧЕСТВА ОСОБЫХ ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИХ ЗОН СТРАН ПРИКАСПИЯ

In the current geopolitical realities, building long-term trade and economic relations with the countries of “Greater Eurasia”, in particular, with the states of the Caspian region, is of particular importance. The key to successful cooperation can be a full-fledged organization of logistics through the North-South multimodal transport corridor. The article proposes a variant of organizing technology transfer through the International North–South Transport Corridor by activating partnerships between special economic zones of the Russian Federation with technology clusters and logistics hubs of Iran and India and creating a unified mechanism for the participation of special economic zones of Russia and the Caspian countries in technology transfer.

Transport infrastructure of Russia: International corridors and transport hubs

The article provides an analysis of the state of transport infrastructure in terms of international traffic. It analyses the condition and development projects of transport corridors that run through the territory of Russia, as well as transport hubs that connect commodity flows with other countries. The article uses the methods of comparative analysis, correlation and observation. The article presents Russia's connection to pan-European transport corridors, the problems of the Northern Sea Route, the North-South transport corridor linking Russia with Iran, and possible options for bypassing the Caspian Sea by rail. The problems of the Trans-Siberian and Baikal-Amur Mainlines are presented. The state and prospects of transport hubs: St Petersburg, Vladivostok and Rostov-on-Don. Features of these hubs, as well as projects for their development. The analysis shows that for the Russian Federation, whose economy is based on the export of raw materials, the most important mode of transport is rail, which provides transportation of different types of goods, and has a certain degree of mobility, compared to pipeline transport. Eliminating bottlenecks in transport infrastructure will contribute to lowering the cost of cargo on world markets by covering the supply base.

ГРУЗОВОЙ ТРАНСПОРТ РОССИИ: НЕКОТОРЫЕ ИТОГИ 2022 ГОДА

The author analyzes some of the outcomes of Russian freight transport performance in 2022, as well as the ways to transform the entire transport industry of Russia under the increased sanctions pressure. She considers topical issues of modernizing the transport and logistics infrastructure in the East of Russia, highlights the problems causing the need to accelerate the development of the Eastern zone of Russian Railways and analyzes the dynamics of cargo shipment by Russian sea transport in foreign navigation and the use of the so-called shadow fleet, which contributed to the growth of Russian energy exports in 2022. Finally, the author assesses the prospects of increasing pipeline deliveries to the Asian markets and enhancing the capacity of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)

Assessment for the growth prospects in freight turnover of the international transport corridor "north-south" in modern conditions

The global labor division, the production planetary division and consumption markets are increasingly actualizing the issues of a reliable and sustainable organization of trade supply on the basis of the developing international transport corridors (ITCs), which are becoming points of growth not only for national economies, but also for large regions. The dynamics of the global market contribute to the increase in the number and potential of the transport corridors. The North-South transport corridor considered in the research is one of the strategic in ensuring the goods supply in the direction of the India-Iran-Azerbaijan-Russia-European Union. A predictive analysis of the development dynamics of the transport corridor freight turnover is carried out, the drivers and barriers to its development in the context of changes in the geopolitical and economic environment of the markets are determined. Attention is paid to the issues of balanced development of the potential transport corridors according to the formation of nodal transport and logistics centers at the intersections of the meridional and latitudinal corridors. It is shown that the railway transport in the ITC “North-South” in its Russian segment is becoming a key factor in the development and transportation competitiveness in comparison with alternative routes. The issues of the container transportations competitiveness of the ITC “North-South” in the context of the multimodality growth and the containerized cargo growth are considered. Prospects for the development of ITC “North-South” in the future depends on active organizational solutions in ensuring the planning and regulation supply, excluding international barriers to its development as well as the introduction of digital technologies for monitoring and managing flows.

ЛОГИСТИКА ПАРАЛЛЕЛЬНОГО ИМПОРТА В УСЛОВИЯХ ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИХ САНКЦИЙ

The article is devoted to analyzing the logistics of parallel imports, which has become one of the most relevant and popular ways of Russia's foreign trade activity in the current geopolitical situation, after the introduction of economic sanctions by Western countries in the spring of 2022. In the article, the author considers 4 types of schemes that allow participants in foreign economic activity to reduce logistics costs, and also analyzes the trade turnover and relations of the Russian Federation with the countries through which parallel imports are carried out, such as Turkey, China and India, as well as possible prospects for cooperation with them in the future. The author analyzes the mechanism of parallel imports in the automotive sector, thanks to which little-known Chinese brands began to appear on the Russian market. An actual logistics route in the scheme of parallel imports between Russia and India is the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), which will reduce not only costs, but also the delivery time of goods. In conclusion, the author offers recommendations that can help not only strengthen the country's economy, but also develop relations with friendly states.

Paleoenvironmental changes in river channel systems in alpine rockslide deposits exemplified by the Fernpass rockslide in the Tyrolian Außerfern District, Austria

This paper describes the instability of river channel systems in alpine rockslide deposits using the Fernpass Rockslide and the river Loisach in the Tyrolian Außerfern District (Austria) as an example of paleoenvironmental developments. This is the first investigation of this kind of the Fernpass, one of the most important Alpine north–south transport connections since the bronze age. It uses geomorphological, sedimentological, onomastic and hydrogeological investigations to reconstruct the course of a late Holocene river in this area and a probabilistic simulation for dating. Tracer tests assisted in investigating the potential groundwater connections of the river systems. The findings show that the Palaeoloisach runs on the orographically right side in a marginal valley of the Fernpass furrow and changes to the orographically left side of the furrow within the Rauth suburb in the village of Biberwier. A probabilistic simulation of the Narrenbichl slip event, which changed the course of the Palaeoloisach, dates the event to an age of 664 ± 116 BC. This investigation is an important contribution to understanding Quaternary postrockslide developments, how groundwater contributes to forming postrockslide channel systems and archaeological findings occurring in populated areas.

Understanding the transport networks complex between South Asia, Southeast Asia and China during the late Neolithic and Bronze Age

The emergence and intensification of transcontinental exchange during both the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age profoundly influenced the social history of Eurasia. While scholars have intensively discussed east-west long-distance communication along the proto-Silk Road, the north-south transport networks that connected China to South and Southeast Asia during the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age have attracted much less attention in the scholarly literature based on archeological science data. In this paper, we find new radiocarbon dates from 11 Neolithic and Bronze Age sites in northwestern and central Yunnan in Southwest China, a key entrance into South and Southeast Asia from China. Combined with previously published archeological records and radiocarbon dates, we attempt to disentangle and understand the timing and routes of the networks linking China to South and Southeast Asia during the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age. We propose three north-south land routes that played essential roles in the cultural exchanges in addition to the proto-Silk Road and maritime routes. This includes the trans-Himalayan routes, trans-Hengduan Mountain routes, and the trans-Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau routes. The north-south exchange between China and South and Southeast Asia probably emerged in the fifth millennium BP (before the present) mainly through a low-frequency trans-Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau and trans-Himalayan routes. The exchange frequency significantly increased after the fourth millennium BP, with the synchronous development of the three primary north-south passageways. Trans-Hengduan routes might have been the most crucial artery connecting China and South and Southeast Asia during 3000–2200 BP, but more archeological records are needed to understand the detailed evolution of these transport networks.

Global Vertical Distribution of Water Vapor on Mars: Results From 3.5Years of ExoMars-TGO/NOMAD Science Operations.

We present water vapor vertical distributions on Mars retrieved from 3.5years of solar occultation measurements by Nadir and Occultation for Mars Discovery onboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, which reveal a strong contrast between aphelion and perihelion water climates. In equinox periods, most of water vapor is confined into the low-middle latitudes. In aphelion periods, water vapor sublimated from the northern polar cap is confined into very low altitudes-water vapor mixing ratios observed at the 0-5km lower boundary of measurement decrease by an order of magnitude at the approximate altitudes of 15 and 30km for the latitudes higher than 50°N and 30-50°N, respectively. The vertical confinement of water vapor at northern middle latitudes around aphelion is more pronounced in the morning terminators than evening, perhaps controlled by the diurnal cycle of cloud formation. Water vapor is also observed over the low latitude regions in the aphelion southern hemisphere (0-30°S) mostly below 10-20km, which suggests north-south transport of water still occurs. In perihelion periods, water vapor sublimated from the southern polar cap directly reaches high altitudes (>80km) over high southern latitudes, suggesting more effective transport by the meridional circulation without condensation. We show that heating during perihelion, sporadic global dust storms, and regional dust storms occurring annually around 330° of solar longitude (L S) are the main events to supply water vapor to the upper atmosphere above 70km.

Pak-Iran Contemporary Relations: Challenges and Way Forward

Pak-Iran relations are of great importance for both the states. Iran was the first state that recognized Pakistan following its inception while Pakistan was among the first countries that recognized the new dispensation in Iran in 1979. However, there have been some irritants in the bilateral relations: India-Iran ties, sectarianism, Jandullah, and Taliban factor that in one way or the other spoiled the relations in post-9/11 era. However, the changing regional dynamics provide for opportunities following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. This article looks into the factors that did not allow the relationship to grow altogether despite the existing potential in post-9/11 period. The growing India-Iran ties, their North-South Transport Corridor and the Indian plan to include Chabahar in it are causing concerns in Islamabad. The militant groups operating near Iran border in Baluchistan is a cause of serious concern for Tehran. The article argues the mistrust needs to be bridged on urgent basis and augment cooperation. Moreover, the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the China-Iran comprehensive cooperation agreement are good developments for both Pakistan and Iran to turn the relationship to a closer partnership. The changing dynamics in the region provide opportunities to both the states to adopt It is time for both Iran and Pakistan to adopt a mutual approach to the regional issues and make a new strategic partnership with Russia and China. Pak-China-Russia-Iran partnership group will be a stronger one and of great importance for all members.

The Importance of the North-South Transport highway for Iran

The Importance of the North-South Transport highway for Iran

International North–South Transport Corridor: Boosting Russia’s “pivot to the South” and Trans-Eurasian connectivity

The Russian economy will have to adjust its logistics to face the new reality. The operationali­zation of the multimodal International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is an important strategic part of it. This “pivot to the South” by Russia and other Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries is of particular significance in light of the required reconfiguration of supply chains in Eurasia. Russian exporters, importers and freight forwarding companies’ needs in alternative logistical opportunities have increased dramatically. The INSTC development would promote Eurasian intra- and transcontinental connectivity, reduce export costs, develop new production niches, and realize the Caspian region’s transit potential. This study estimates that the aggregate potential INSTC freight traffic via all the routes and modes of transport, including containerized and non-containerized cargoes, will reach 15–25 million­ tonnes by 2030. The container traffic could rise 20x and this will require investments in hard infrastructure and also soft infrastructure improvement. The corridor will contribute to the evolving outline of the trans-Eurasian transport backbone and bring significant benefits for the economies of Russia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, Middle East, and South Asia.

Роль транспортных коридоров в международном сотрудничестве (на примере Каспийского региона

Despite its obvious relevance and practical significance, the problem of Eurasian transport corridors has not yet taken a proper place in the scientific discourse. This article is a small but important step towards the development of the stated topic. International transport corridors (ITCs) in general and Eurasian ones in particular are a fundamentally new mechanism of international cooperation and a factor aimed at overcoming the increased turbulence in the relations between the states. The International North–South Transport Corridor project is of global significance, Russian-Azerbaijani cooperation playing an especially important role in its successful implementation. Current instability of the global political landscape and increasing foreign policy risks have given rise to a tendency to actualize national agendas to the detriment of international integration processes. This tendency is, however, being constructively overcome through new organizational forms, one of which is the ITCs. The latter, due to the vector of progress from the national to the common domain, are becoming a sought-after and developing institution of international cooperation. Owing to the natural conditions, the geopolitical space of Russia and Azerbaijan plays an important role in promoting national interests. Due to the friendly relations between the two countries, the creation of this important Eurasian route has been progressing steadily, which is facilitated by mutual interest in the integration of the transport systems in order to increase the transit potential of the territories, by a significant coincidence of Russia’s and Azerbaijan’s geopolitical interests, as well as by a high collaboration potential in the region. The joint work of the Caspian states in the organization of Eurasian transport corridors has been experiencing a destructive influence of external forces, which significantly complicates consolidation of the countries in the region. At the same time, integration in the field of transport communications is the most important mechanism for overcoming instability and achieving a stable international security regime.

Statistical analysis of simulated oceanic dispersion of dissolved radionuclide hypothetically released from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant using long-term oceanographic reanalysis data

ABSTRACT We conducted numerical simulations on the oceanic dispersion of dissolved radionuclide hypothetically released from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant using long-term oceanographic reanalysis data. We evaluated the characteristics and trends of dissolved radionuclide behavior in the ocean using statistical analysis based on the simulation results. The surface meridional current at the release point in the Fukushima coastal ocean and the Kuroshio Extension significantly affected the north–south transport of the surface radionuclide in the Fukushima coastal ocean and the eastward transport of the offshore surface radionuclide, respectively. Because the surface kinetic energy in the coastal to the offshore area was larger, the range of the dispersed surface radionuclide tended to be larger. In summer (July–September), the increased frequency radionuclide entrainment by the Kuroshio Extension because of the surface southward radionuclide transport in the Fukushima coastal ocean and the large surface kinetic energy caused a large dispersed surface radionuclide. In winter (January–March), the decreased frequency radionuclide entrainment by the Kuroshio Extension because of the surface northward radionuclide transport in the Fukushima coastal ocean and the small surface kinetic energy caused a small dispersed surface radionuclide.

СЪБИТИЯТА В АФГАНИСТАН И ВЪЗДЕЙСТВИЕТО ИМ ВЪРХУ ЕВРАЗИЙСКАТА АРХИТЕКТУРА НА СИГУРНОСТ

The end of NATO’s intervention in Afghanistan marks the transition to a multipolar world. The US is losing direct control over processes in Asia that have yet to be determined by the interaction mostly between China, Russia, India, Iran, and Pakistan. Because of its location, Afghanistan represents a node of contradictions that have yet to be resolved by these centers. A major task in the region is the successful implementation of the strategic infrastructure projects – One Belt One Road and the North-South transport corridor. These corridors intersect in Afghanistan and enable the country’s natural resources to be exploited. Political stabilization is a condition for the success of these projects and vice versa. There is a regional security network including the SCO and the GSTO. Interaction between the participants could solve the security problems in Afghanistan, completing the military, political and economic infrastructure.

India, Russia and Iran: a New Study on “North — South” International Transport Corridor

The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) has made impressive progress in making boat, street, and rail courses that transport cargo between India, Iran and Russia and countries of the European Union and Central Asia. It connects India Ocean, Iran, the Persian Gulf nations, through the nations of the Caucasus and Central Asia with Russia and mainland Europe. This task was a reaction to Eurasian coordination, “Extraordinary Eurasian Partnership” (Russia, 2011) including “One Belt, One Road” (China, 2013) and The Silk Road. By rethinking the Integration and Economic Potential of the INSTC and its importance for the partaking nations, it is feasible to utilize the rationale of the aggregate game plan of the Eurasian space in light of a legitimate concern for all member states. However, the first trail train via INSTC, departing from Helsinki on June 21, 2021, arrived at its destination at twice the speed of the existing Suez Canal route, proving the timeliness and competitiveness but missing rout in Iran Rasht-Astara railway line still remain the challenging problem for the Iranian government as well as for India and Russia.

An Illusory Entente: The Myth of a Russia-China-Iran “Axis”

The Russian factor in Sino-Iranian relations has been an outgrowth of Moscow's relations with Beijing and Tehran which each occupy distinct, though at times overlapping, roles in Russian foreign policy. Whereas the economic ties between Beijing and Tehran have been crucial in the evolution of Sino-Iranian relations, Russia-Iran relations have been driven by converging security concerns with an emphasis on regional issues ranging from the Caspian Sea to Afghanistan. This article begins with an overview of the convergences in Russia, China, and Iran's view of international order, which has materialised in the nascent collective efforts to contest the basis of ostensibly ‘liberal' norms and practices. It proceeds to examine the Russian and Chinese role in the evolution of the Iranian nuclear programme and joint Sino-Russian collaboration during P5+1 negotiations. Next, it shifts its focus to regional and domestic security through Iran's engagement with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and through Beijing and Moscow's transmission of sovereignty-boosting practices to strengthen regime stability. Finally, it concludes with Iran's role in Russian efforts to link the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) with China’s Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI) as well as the wider efforts at supporting de-dollarisation. Yet, despite ideational convergences and coordination on salient issues, it would be erroneous to suggest the existence of a formidable Russia-China-Iran axis. Rather, the tripartite relationship between Russia, China, and Iran remains an illusory entente – bereft of regularised, institutionalised relations outside of their respective bilateral ties which tend to allow only modest trilateral coordination.

Geopolitics of Chabahar Port for Iran, India and Afghanistan

In January 2016, Iran, India and Afghanistan signed a trilateral economic agreement on developing the Chabahar Port in south-eastern Iran. This project holds immense economic and geopolitical value for both Iran and India. Chabahar, as Iran’s first deep water port, connects it to oceanic trade routes. This helps Iran to mitigate US sanctions and sustain trade relations with neighbours and independent states such as India. For India, Chabahar is the key point of the ‘International North–South Transport Corridor’, an ambitious project connecting India to Central Asia and Europe. The article analyses the geostrategic, economic and trade-related importance of Chabahar port from both Iranian and Indian perspectives. This Iranian–Indian trade co-operation is considered a strategic alternative, if not a rival, to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), whose key point is the Gwadar port in Pakistan, next door to Chabahar.

INFRA-BIM FOR BUSINESS PROCESSES’ MANAGEMENT IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION

Introduction: The article addresses the business processes of the construction and operation of linear road sections. In the course of the study, we analyzed the geographic information system (GIS) of Avtodor company (developer: Indor-Soft, Tomsk) and its use in the operation and maintenance of transport infrastructure facilities at such road sections. In particular, we studied the construction of the Far West Krasnodar Bypass (FWKB), which is part of the North-South transport corridor, and its implementation by means of InfraBIM modeling. Purpose of the study: We aimed to describe the structured GIS database of Avtodor company by connecting various InfraBIM tools for the purposes of data generation and road model update. Methods: Analyzing the GIS of Avtodor company when using an InfraBIM model of road infrastructure, we studied the following: use of GIS features at the facility; asynchronous editing and selection of data without access to the Internet; database update. Results: InfraBIM models of linear road sections, developed in the implementation of such projects as the FWKB, make it possible to optimize time and save money when planning and introducing measures during the operation of transport infrastructure facilities.