Trans-Eurasian transport link: Russian Railways President Vladimir Yakunin has put his weight behind plans to build a new road and high-speed rail network running between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans through Russia’s Far East and Siberia and on to the Bering Strait.
Currently known as the Trans-Eurasian belt Development (TEPR), the project would entail the construction of a new train network running beside the Trans-Siberian Railway as well the development of new roads and infrastructure for oil, gas, water and electricity.
Yakunin presented the plans for TEPR at the Russian Academy of Science and argued that in the current economic and political climate, the scheme was more vital than ever as it would turn Russia into a new global centre for high-tech industries. “This is an inter-state, inter-civilizational project,” he said. “It should be [seen] an alternative to the current (neo-liberal) model, which has caused a systemic crisis.”
If successful, the project could create 10 to 15 new industries, several new cities and a significant number of new jobs, he said.
Trans-Eurasian transport link backed by Russian Railways boss
The Kolyma Highway in Russia’s Far East
Source: Siberian Times