BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 27. There are different gauges in the Eurasian space, and therefore it is important to eliminate this for stable, unimpeded transportation in international traffic, the chairperson of the Committee of the Organization for Cooperation between Railways (OSJD) Miroslaw Antonowicz said, Trend reports.
He made the remark during the session "The Eurasian Transport Network: Potential, Challenges, and Solutions" within the framework of the EDB Business Forum in Almaty.
"Central Asian countries are very important to us, and to increase the economic development of these countries, we support innovations. There are different gauge widths in the Eurasian space, and therefore it is important to eliminate this for stable, unimpeded transportation in international traffic," he said.
According to him, OSJD is engaged in the improvement of international transportation corridors, and not only.
"The main task is safety, care for the environment, cooperation between countries, and the introduction of innovations in the process of railway transportation. Our organization includes 13 international transport railway corridors. The transportation volumes are more than 5 billion tons. Concerning container transportation in the direction of China-Europe and back, in 2023, the figure amounted to more than 17,500 container trains. These are transportations through Kazakhstan," he stressed.
Antonowicz noted that the next step in the future of international transportation is the introduction of the "single window" concept at border checkpoints.
"Environmental solutions are also important. Indeed, the railroad is the main ecological mode of transportation in the world. We need to introduce new energy sources and innovations for transportation," he added.
To note, the EDB 2024 Annual Meeting and Business Forum is taking place in Almaty on June 27–28.
The events feature a series of sessions on the topics of Islamic finance, transport, ecology, energy, and digital technologies.
The Eurasian Development Bank is a multilateral development bank carrying out investment activities in the Eurasian region.
The EDB's authorized capital is $7 billion. The main share in the EDB portfolio is occupied by projects with an integration effect in the areas of transport infrastructure, digital systems, green energy, agriculture, industry, and mechanical engineering.
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