New Trade Routes between Europe and China: Revitalizing the Rails?

Borders are everywhere and nowhere right now. New brick-and-mortar walls are being constructed and talked about in many parts of the world. While at the same time, global satellite networks continue to expand.

It is easy to forget about how the goods we use every day get moved from point A to B and how even the movement of goods could eventually open up new routes for travel or close others. In this context, it is exciting to discover there are new networks being forged across Eurasia.

Asia and Europe are connected by a series of railways. Many of these are older routes maintained or updated. Three large railways make up most of the shipping industry across this landmass. The first is known as the Trans-Siberian Railroad and it connects Europe and Asia through Russia. This is the most northern one. The second is more central and travels through Kazahkstan and by ferry across the Caspian Sea. These first two routes have been operational for some time, but the third route is what has made news most recently.

The third route is of interest because it does not pass through Russia, even though this results in more complicated border crossings and customs proceedings. This rail route goes through Kazahkstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, before making a connection with European rail lines. Investment in this rail is a reflection of political conflict, but it is also a way in which borders are being traveled and conceptually redrawn in a tangible way. If trade routes expand on the ground one has to wonder how the effects of this new “Silk Road” will ripple through other industries, eventually affecting travel opportunities for better or for worse.