“From the Baltic and Barents Seas to the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean”. That’s how rail connectivity should work along the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), according to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The head of Russia shared some interesting views and plans during the National Railway Workers’ Day that could see different but equally significant transport projects intertwining.
The INSTC is again the centre of attention in Russia, with Putin highlighting it in one of his latest public addresses. The project’s significance is already known in terms of diversifying Russian trade flows, creating more connectivity options in Central Asia, and providing a comprehensive vertical regional railway link in the north-south direction with the potential to link major economies like the Russian and Indian ones.
So far, the project’s primary focus has been filling the infrastructure gaps of countries involved in the INSTC, primarily Iranian railways, and testing the different route options crossing through Azerbaijan, the Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. As a result, Central Asian countries have been monopolising the interest, with Russia acting as the project’s orchestrator from the north.
From sea to sea
INSTC’s initial purpose was to provide seamless connectivity from Northern Europe and Russia to the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. Although Northern Europe is not officially part of the plans at the moment, Russia seems willing to fulfil this vision. Putin’s latest statement is indicative of this will.
“Our agenda includes the […] organisation of the so-called seamless railway connection from the Baltic and the Barents Sea to the coast of the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean,” stated Putin during the Russian National Railway Workers’ Day last week. He also added that Russia recognises the pressing need to accelerate the building of railway infrastructure at new technological levels” primarily due to the impact of Western sanctions on the country.
But pay attention to which sea
Putin’s desire to link the Baltic Sea region to the Persian Gulf is not new. As mentioned earlier, INSTC’s initial purpose was precisely this, also considering the fact that the first test trains on the way to Iran departed from Finland around three years ago.
The most important part of his statements is his mention of the Barents Sea. For those unfamiliar with it, the Barents Sea is part of the Arctic Ocean and is located off Russia’s northern coasts. This mention did not come out of the blue. Chances are high that it relates to another major Russian-Chinese plan–the Arctic Express.
China and Russia have developed a novel transport solution that, unfortunately, benefits from climate change. Increasingly fast ice melting rates in the Arctic Ocean mean that it is more easily navigable by sea vessels, and the two countries aim to use this opportunity and route as an alternative for faster trade between them.
Rail will also be highly involved in the Arctic route. Goods heading to China will be brought to Russian seaports via rail, and Russia has already launched the first ‘Arctic Express’ service from Moscow to the northern port of Arkhangelsk, which is located on the coast of the White Sea, a southern inlet of the Barents Sea.
Here’s where the INSTC becomes relevant. Putin’s remark that the Barents Sea and the Persian Gulf/Indian Ocean could soon be linked could sound overconfident out of context, but in fact, it is a work in progress. Russia seems poised to interconnect those corridors using rail freight as the main driver while transforming its territory into an actual north-south and east-west hub. Will those plans change the scenery of inter and intracontinental logistics even more? We are just one rail service away from learning.