The Web Of Transport Corridors In South Asia

The WEB of Transport Corridors in South Asia develops a holistic appraisal methodology to ensure that economic benefits of investments in transport corridors are amplified and more widely spread, and possible negative impacts such as congestion, environmental degradation, and other unintended consequences are minimized. It focuses on South Asia—not only as one of the world’s most populous and poorest regions—but as a hinge between East Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. The book is aimed at politicians, technocrats, civil society organizations, and businesses. It presents case studies of past and recent corridor initiatives, provides rigorous analysis of the literature on the spatial impact of corridors, and offers assessments of corridor investment projects supported by international development organizations. A series of spotlights examines such issues as private sector co-investment; the impacts of corridors on small enterprises and women; and issues with implementing cross-border corridors. The 'WEB' in the title stands for both the wider economic benefits (WEB) that transport corridors are expected to generate and the complex web of transport corridors that has been proposed. The appraisal methodology introduced in this book shows how the web of interconnected elements around corridors can be disentangled and the most promising corridor proposals—the ones with the greatest wider economic benefits—can be selected.

This study is part of the ongoing dialogue on reforming trade logistics, and facilitating trade and transportation in Central and South Asian countries. It presents key findings from several rounds of first-hand observations and interviews conducted with multiple stakeholders to measure the performance of key road transport corridors across the region, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and to some extent, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The study identifies obstacles that hinder efficient movement of goods along transport corridors, and offers recommendations for short- and medium-term reforms for participating country governments with particular emphasis on the performance of border crossings. The overall objective of this study is to provide basic information on transport corridor performance so that national policy makers and private sectors have a basis to open discussions on how they might cooperate to facilitate international trade and transport by addressing infrastructure and operational bottlenecks in the region.

"Written for public and private sector professionals in South Asia, the book presents policy options that would enable the subregion to compete in a rapidly changing global environment. While the book is designed to stimulate informed dialogue among key stakeholders, the unique approach and lessons learned have broad applications of interest to a wider audience."--BOOK JACKET.

This book discusses policy instruments for sustainable infrastructure developments. Railways are one of the most important developmental instruments of a region, province, or country. They play a crucial role in economic development, urban growth, urban mobility, regional susceptibility, market integration, and world trade. Railways are an integral part of regional and urban development, both in terms of freight and passenger transport. By offering case studies from various regions and cities in South Asia, this book examines the evolution of railway transportation and the impact of these infrastructure projects on regional and urban development. It examines the interactions between evolving infrastructures and competing demands and considers the negative and positive externalities of railway transportation for people, places, and locations. The contributions analyze issues such as network infrastructure planning and technological development, passenger mobility and satisfaction, vulnerability to environmental impacts, and cross-border trade.

Spanning more than 800 kilometers of India's eastern coastline, the Vizag–Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC) is part of the country's East Coast Economic Corridor. This initiative can help unify the large domestic market as well as integrate the Indian economy with the dynamic global value chains of Asia and drive India's Act East policy. VCIC will also be an important component of the government's Make in India campaign to attract foreign investors and encourage the creation of manufacturing hubs in the country. The new industrial corridor is expected to spur growth by augmenting existing investment in world-class transport networks, infrastructure, and industrial and urban clusters that are supported by a robust institutional framework and a competitive business environment. By linking areas that are lagging in development with dynamic industrial and urban clusters, VCIC will create employment opportunities that alleviate poverty and reduce inequality. As a coastal corridor, VCIC can provide multiple access points to international gateways. Greater connectivity and economic integration between South Asia and the rest of Asia is likely to contribute significantly to development and foster regional cooperation as well.

Trade and transport corridors are fundamental to the overland movement of international trade, particularly for landlocked countries. This book provides tools and techniques for the design of trade and transport corridor projects. It is meant for task managers, policy makers, and corridor service providers.

The economic corridor approach was adopted by the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries in 1998 to help accelerate subregional development. The development of economic corridors links production, trade, and infrastructure within a specific geographic area. The review of these corridors was conducted to take into account the opening up of Myanmar and ensure that there is a close match between corridor routes and trade flows; GMS capitals and major urban centers are connected to each other; and the corridors are linked with maritime gateways. The review came up with recommendations for possible extension and/or realignment of the corridors, and adoption of a classification system for corridor development. The GMS Ministers endorsed the recommendations of the study at the 21st GMS Ministerial Conference in Thailand in 2016.

This Special Issue presents an in-depth analysis of transport research commissioned by the UK Department for International Development under the High Volume Transport Programme (2017-2023). The analysis done in the period 2018-2019 contributes to the UK response to improving transport in the low-income countries in Africa and South Asia. As a result, key priorities have been identified for applied research in 2020 to make road, rail and urban transport more efficient and affordable, and all transport greener, safer and more inclusive for all users. This applied research is a vital link in making transport a sustainable lifeline for people in low-income countries, because transport gives farmers and manufacturers access to domestic and international markets and people in rural and urban areas access to schools and health services.