United Nation Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Transport Division

Trans-Asian Railway North-South Corridor
(Northern Europe to the Persian Gulf)

Development of the Trans-Asian Railway: Trans-Asian Railway in the North-South Corridor -- Northern Europe to the Persian Gulf, 2001.

[Contents | PDF file (4.5MB)] (105 pages) (ST/ESCAP/2182)

In recent years there has been an upsurge of interest in the feaibility of rail container transport as a possible alternative to shipping between Northern Europe and the Persian Gulf with shipping connections to South and South-East Asia. In order to assess this corridor, a study was conducted to identify

(i) all feasible rail and land-cum-sea routes connecting Northern Europe with the Persina Gulf through the Caucasus region, Central Asia and/or the Caspian Sea;

(ii) The characteristics of these routes in terms of their lengths and the transit times they can offer, with due attention to average operating speeds as well as typical dwell times at border stations and transshipment points; and

(iii) the possible presence of operational restrictions which might impede the smooth flow of goods along the routes.

The study was published as Trans-Asian Railway in the North-South Corridor Northern Europe to the Persian Gulf (ST/ESCAP/2182, 2001).

Recently an expert group meeting was held to discuss the development of the North-South Corridor linking Northern Europe to the Persian Gulf in Moscow on 26 September 2005. The Meeting reaffirmed the great potential of the International North-South Transport Corridor and requested the secretariat to further promote its development. Report of the Expert Group Meeting on the Development of the North-South Corridor linking Northern Europe to the Persian Gulf, Moscow, 26 September 2005.