Greater Eurasian Partnership: Theory and Practice

Transport and logistics links within the GEP

The formation of a common transport space within the GEP is the most important condition for deepening economic ties between the countries of Eurasia. The participation of such integration associations as the EAEU, SCO and ASEAN in the GEP initiative creates a unique opportunity to connect various logistics potentials: land, sea and multimodal.

The EAEU countries, particularly Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, have a developed railway infrastructure connecting Europe with Asia. The East-West corridors, including the Trans-Siberian Railway, play a key role in connecting land routes. The majority of transit cargo from China to the EU countries passes through the Dostyk and Altynkol border crossings in Kazakhstan, the total number of which reached 430 thousand TEU in 2024 in both directions. According to Russian Railways, more than 50% of Russia's foreign trade and transit cargo is transported along the Trans-Siberian Railway. In turn, Russia also has a competitive maritime infrastructure. The container turnover of Russian ports in 2024 exceeded 5.59 million TEU, half of which was in the Far Eastern Basin (2.68 million TEU). The ports' cargo turnover amounted to 886.3 million tons, of which 699.7 million tons of cargo were exported, and Novorossiysk was the leader among the ports (164.8 million tons).

ASEAN countries mainly specialize in maritime logistics. The region is home to the world's largest container ports – Singapore, Laem Chabang (Thailand), Tanjung Pelepas (Malaysia), and Haiphong and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam). The Port of Singapore is the second-largest container port in the world after the one in Shanghai, China with a container turnover of more than 40 million TEU. According to InfraNews, twenty of the thirty largest container ports in the world are located in the ASEAN member countries, which underscores their logistical importance.

The railway infrastructure of the ASEAN countries is characterized by diversity and active development. The total length of railways in the region is more than 23.3 thousand km. Indonesia (6,640 km) has the largest railway network, which accounts for about 28.5% of the combined railway network, followed by Myanmar (6,200 km, 26.6%) and Thailand (5,090 km, 21.9%). According to PwC, citing Statistics Indonesia, from January to June 2024, freight rail transportation in the country reached 35.15 million tons.

China and India, key members of the SCO, have a balanced transport structure - developed railway networks, inland waterways and large seaports.

China undoubtedly holds the leading position in maritime logistics: four of the five largest container ports in the world, namely Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen and Qingdao, are located in China. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China, the total cargo turnover of Chinese ports (sea and river) in 2024 reached 17.6 billion tons, including sea ports - 11.21 billion tons. China has the world's longest high-speed railway network (HSR) - 48 thousand km as of the end of 2024, with plans to increase it to 60 thousand km by 2030. In turn, the length of all railways is 162 thousand km, second only to the United States in terms of the length of the railway network. Chinese railways transported a total of 3.99 billion tons of cargo in 2024.

The Indian ports of Mundra and Nava Sheva are also among the top thirty ports in the world, with a combined container throughput of over 15 million TEU in 2024. India’s top twelve ports handled over 819.2 million tons of cargo in 2024. India also has one of the largest rail networks in the world, ranking fourth after Russia with a total length of over 68,000 km. Indian Railways handled 1.58 billion tons of cargo in 2024.

The transport infrastructure of Iran and Pakistan is also notable for the synergy of their maritime and rail logistics. The cargo turnover of Iranian ports in 2024 amounted to 234.8 million tons, more than 152 million tons - for export. In turn, container turnover exceeded 3 million TEU. The dominant role in Iran's maritime logistics belongs to the southern port of Bandar Abbas (approximately 85% of the country's total cargo turnover). At the same time, the Caspian port, located in the Anzali free economic zone in Gilan province, has become a key hub of the international North-South transport corridor.

There are several large ports on the coast of Pakistan. The largest port is Karachi, which handles more than 60% of the total cargo volume in the country. In 2024, the port handled 51.65 million tons of cargo and 2.27 million TEU, and the potential is estimated at 125 million tons and 4.25 million TEU. The second largest port, located near Karachi, is Qassim (about 30% of the country's cargo turnover). In addition, the port of Gwadar operates to strengthen logistics ties with China and the Central Asian countries, as well as the development of Pakistani-Chinese trade.

Iran's railway infrastructure has a total length of 9,400 km, but only a small part is electrified (about 200 km). The volume of freight traffic by the beginning of 2023 reached 46.9 million tons. The head of Iran Railways (RAI) Jabarali Zakeri announced that the target of 54 million tons of domestic and international cargo will be achieved by the end of 2025.

At the same time, the length of the Pakistani railway network is only slightly inferior to Iran's and is 7,800 km, although there are 100 km more electrified sections. The volume of freight traffic is not especially high - 4.3 million tons by the beginning of 2023.

Within the EEP initiative, transport corridors linking the participating countries play a key role. Below is the data in the form of a table and a map of the Eurasian transport framework, describing the key routes linking the member states of the EAEU, SCO and ASEAN.

Corridors of the Eurasian transport framework

Source: EDB report "Eurasian transport framework"

Main transport corridors of the Greater Eurasian Partnership

Source: compiled by the authors based on open data

Currently, the GEP countries boast a high degree of transport interconnectivity, with the possibility of using both land and sea routes. At the same time, projects to develop logistics infrastructure are being actively implemented: the construction of the Astara-Rasht section (the North-South ITC), the Dostyk – Moiynty and Bakhty – Ayagoz lines (the Central Eurasian Corridor), the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, as well as projects in Southeast Asia within the framework of the One Belt, One Road initiative.

Nevertheless, the GEP transport space cannot be called seamless. For example, there are no railways between India and Myanmar or between Myanmar and Thailand. Moreover, there is no direct rail link between the two largest economies in the world, India and China. The lack of full-fledged end-to-end routes between a number of countries limits the potential for trade and integration. In addition, differences in track gauge standards, customs clearance and the level of digitalization of logistics create additional barriers. Thus, further development of the common transport space of the GEP requires a comprehensive approach combining construction, modernization and institutional convergence.