Russian carriers have managed to expand logistics to the east.
Photo: Edward CHESNOKOV. Go to Photobank KP
Russian foreign trade has turned to the East. Export volumes of our products and import volumes of imported goods are growing significantly. This creates additional demand for transport infrastructure. What transformation should it undergo? And what prospects will this offer for the development of the entire Russian economy? This and other issues were discussed by the participants of the session “To the East! Routes of the New Time”, which took place within the framework of the 9th Eastern Economic Forum.
Eastern Training Camp
One of the main transport arteries in Russia is the BAM and the Trans-Siberian Railway. Together they form the so-called eastern training ground of Russian railways. The load on this highway has been growing at a rapid pace in recent years. There is a shortage of transport capacity. Bottlenecks are widening over time. There are plans to continue this work.
– We have managed to expand logistics to the East. We were prepared for this. The President of the country approved the third stage of modernization of the Eastern test site. By 2030, we plan to transport 210 million tons of cargo, and by 2032 – 270 million tons,” said Vitaly Savelyev, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Government.
– We have not only focused on export, but we have also focused on ourselves – on the Far East. We have a huge increase in traffic here as the economy develops. This increase is important for you and for me. The eastern range serves not only for export, but also for the development of the economy in the Far East, explained Oleg Belozerov, General Director of OJSC “Russian Railways”.
In this case, the expansion of a transport artery has a synergistic effect. In this case, adjacent corridors also become in demand. At the same time, when there is a shortage of transport capacity, alternative routes become important. For example, the Northern Sea Route.
“The pride of every Russian”
Modernizing the transport system is a complex task. Therefore, it is necessary to solve it taking into account all modern technologies.
– The national project “Effective Transport System”, in which we will implement nine federal projects, is a support network of airfields, checkpoints, the Northern Sea Route, the Eastern training ground and, finally, a high-speed railway. I think that the time will come when we will plan high-speed railways within the framework of the development of the Far East,” Vitaly Savelyev explained.
– We have defined our mission as creating the most efficient transport system in the world to improve competitiveness, economy and quality of life in Russia. Transport should become a source of pride for all Russians, the pride of our country, added Roman Starovoyt, Minister of Transport of Russia.
One of the priority areas is the development of unmanned vehicles. And here public-private partnerships, as well as the use of innovative systems, will help.
– Preferential leasing of drones is the most effective way of using them, when the hardware is not delivered directly to one of the clients, but a service is provided, qualified operators who know how to service the fleet, provide spare parts and flights, and can “share” drones between different clients. This is the future and within the framework of the new national project we will promote this initiative,” explained Evgeniy Dietrich, General Director of the State Transport Leasing Company JSC.
The main challenge is finding people.
At the same time, the implementation of any long-term plan depends on the availability of personnel. There are currently major problems with this even in central Russia. And even more so in the Far East.
– The Far East cannot exist without aviation. This has been the case historically, and this is a tribute to modernity. The task set by the President (4 million passengers within the Far East) is a serious challenge. And it will require significant resources. And it is not just about aircraft, it is also about attracting additional personnel, because the fleet will grow and the airworthiness of these aircraft will be maintained,” said Sergey Alexandrovsky, General Director of Aeroflot PJSC.
– We need to try, strive to increase the volume of transport, production and solve these problems in a non-trivial way. But the main problem is people. If somewhere we optimize and increase productivity, here we are growing. And we are experiencing a very large shortage of people. And the biggest challenge for us is to attract people here,” Oleg Belozerov explained.
The bottleneck is also at the border
Other reasons also hinder the implementation of transport projects. First of all, the high official interest rate of the Central Bank. It is 19% per year.
– If the interest rate is higher than the average return on capital of a Russian company, then it should stop operating and simply deposit the money. Therefore, of course, we hope for a smooth approach that will ensure that the rate allows for more investment in transport projects,” complained Kirill Dmitriev, general director of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).
In addition, some projects, even those approved, cannot start due to bureaucratic delays.
“Transport opportunities have been created, investments are ready to come. We are increasing our share in Asian markets. The Global South is positive towards Russia. That is why it is important for us to use all these opportunities together and not forget about good investment conditions,” Kirill Dmitriev added.
At the same time, even if cargo passes through the bottleneck of railways and port facilities, companies often face the fact that goods remain at the border for a long time. There are not enough checkpoints. And regulations do not allow us to work faster.
– In addition to customs control at checkpoints, customs authorities carry out checks in the interests of a number of other departments. Government decisions have already been prepared to ensure that such checks are completely limited to the customs service. By eliminating unnecessary interaction between departments, we reduce the time for making a decision, which will create a continuous corridor for the movement of vehicles through the checkpoint,” explained Vladimir Ivin, Deputy Head of the Federal Customs Service of Russia.
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The 9th Eastern Economic Forum was held in Vladivostok on September 3-6, 2024, at the Far Eastern Federal University campus on Russky Island. The motto of the forum is: “Let’s join forces, creating opportunities.” This year, EEF events were attended by more than 7,100 people from 75 countries. Among them are representatives of the business and diplomatic corps of 16 hostile states. 313 agreements worth a total of 5.569 trillion rubles were signed at the forum – the best result of all previous years. The forum is organized by Roscongress. Komsomolskaya Pravda media holding is a media partner of EEF 2024.
