The second Expert Group Meeting and Capacity Building Workshop on Digital Transformation of Railway and Multimodal Transport in North and Central Asia were held on 26-27 April 2023 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in a hybrid format, the press service of the TRACECA Project reports.
At the meeting of the Expert Group, the ESCAP Secretariat presented several projects in support of technological upgrade of the railway industry.
In particular, there was a presentation of:
- project on “New technologies and digital transformation in support of more resilient and competitive railway operations in North and Central Asia”.
- Draft strategy on accelerating rail digital transformation in the Asia-Pacific Region
- Subregional inventory of national policies, strategies and programmes on digitalization of railway and multimodal transport in North and Central Asia
Representatives from Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan shared on national perspectives and initiatives on digitalization in transport and discussed draft strategic recommendations.
Nurberdiev Silapberdi, Deputy Head of the Department of Freight Transportation and Commercial Works of JSC “Demiryollary” (Railways), spoke about the railway transit potential of Turkmenistan.
“In 2022, the transit freight through the territory of Turkmenistan has increased by 3.5 times. Using its advantageous geographical position, Turkmenistan aspires to become a major transport and logistics hub in Eurasia. The country pays great attention to the comprehensive development and modernization of railway infrastructure, the purchase of new equipment, international cooperation in the creation and effective use of international transit and transport corridors,” Nurberdiyev said during his remarks.
The Turkmenistan representative gave a detailed introduction to various railway infrastructure facilities that are crucial for international transit transportation. Particularly noteworthy are the cargo yards at Sarakhs, Etrek, and Artyk rail stations on the Turkmen-Iranian border and the international port of Turkmenbashi.
At the Capacity Building Workshop, several international organizations (Eurasian Economic Commission, OSJD, UNECE, UNCTAD, PS IGC TRACECA, DDC) presented good practices on transport digitalization.
At the joint session organized with the International Council of Trans-Eurasian Transportation (CCTT) the vision on digitalization of railway and multimodal transport with participation of railway operators.
Representatives of different government authorities involved into digital development of railway and multimodal transport, customs and digital development, as well as transport industry associations representatives participated at the meeting as well.
Reliable integrated transport networks are essential to the development of economies and vital to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific. They drive the trade, investment and growth which is especially important for landlocked developing countries. But the challenge is to make them accessible, safe and sustainable.
In this context, the ESCAP secretariat is implementing a project on “New technologies and digital transformation in support of more resilient and competitive railway operations in North and Central Asia”.
The main objective of the project is to assist participating member States in reducing inefficiencies which impede cross-border railways transport operations, introduce advanced solutions of rail and multimodal transport operations involving railway transport, which could contribute to increase of railways’ share in the international transport of goods. The project also aims at improving resilience of transport networks and operations to disruptive developments in North and Central Asia.
Geographical scope and beneficiary countries of the project – Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The vision of the Draft Regional Strategy on Accelerating Rail Digital Transformation in Asia and the Pacific is to enhance sustainability of transport, to support realization of Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development. The expected outcome is increasing in freight and passenger transport by rail, reducing greenhouse gas emission from transport. ///nCa, 2 May 2023