Lomakina Anastasiya Igorevna – (Institute of Geography of Russian Academy of Sciences)
The article focuses on the role of land bridges as a factor of reduction of continentality, the main consequence of which is the increased of transport costs, the cases of Russia and Canada are considered. Answering the question of the study on whether the land Trans-Eurasian bridges will be able to compete with Maritime transport, we can confidently say that they will not. This is due to both their technical and economic characteristics. Even if the current tariff is maintained and the cargo flow of TEU containers continues to grow to 0.5 million by 2020, this volume will not exceed 10% of the number of containers transported by sea. Another question of the study concerned the possibility of land bridges to mitigate the shortcomings of the landlocked situation. The example of the Trans-Canada railways, as well as the Trans-Siberian railway and the Central route of the One Belt One Road initiative (OBOR), shows that due to relatively cheap tariffs they can improve the transport and geographical position of inland regions. However, they cannot completely overcome the continentality of the landlocked regions and compete on an equal basis with the regions facing the sea or inner waterways suitable for Maritime navigation (the sea route of the river SV. Lawrence and the Great lakes, Yangtze, the Xi River). The economic effect, similar to that which the coastal regions receive from the benefits of cheap transport routes, is possible in the border Siberian regions because of subsidizing land transportation by the Chinese authorities. At the same time, the development of cross-border transport infrastructure linking adjacent inland regions contributes to the intensification of trade and economic ties between them. Thus, Canada has developed communication between the provinces and the states, and in the future such an intra-continental belt of trade and economic activity may arise in the framework of the Northern course of the OROB.
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