Inception Meeting for the Study Project on
Commercialization of KTI Railway Corridor
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
10-11 April 2018
Proposed Implementation Plan
for
Study project on KTI railway corridor
Sandeep Raj Jain
Economic Affairs Officer
Transport Connectivity and Logistics Section
Transport Division
Outline
1. Overview of ESCAP work on
strengthening international
railway transport
2. Activities planned under this
study project
3. Indicative timeline for the
activities
Overview of ESCAP work to strengthen international railway transport
✓ Intergovernmental Agreement on the Trans-Asian Railway Network entered
in to force in 2009 currently has 24 (19) states as party
✓ For facilitation of international railway transport, ESCAP members in 2015
adopted a resolution 71/7 on Adoption of Regional Cooperation Framework
for Facilitation of International Railway Transport
✓ The framework identify four fundamental issues and eleven areas for
cooperation among member states to foster railway transport in the region
✓ Following on the resolutions ESCAP developed jointly with OSJD a
Framework on enhancing efficiency of railway border crossings
✓ Identify among other electronic exchange of information and harmonization
of customs transit formalities
✓ MOUs with UIC, OSJD and OTIF
Background
✓ Meeting of Heads of Railways of Kazakhstan,
Turkmenistan and Islamic Republic of Iran held
at the Secretariat of Economic Cooperation
Organization (ECO) in February 2017, agreed
for a study project on the commercialization of
KTI railway corridor
✓ Requested ESCAP, ECO and Islamic
Development Bank (IsDB) to take necessary
steps to formalize the project implementation
modalities
✓ In August 2017, ECO and IsDB signed a
Technical Cooperation Agreement (TCA) for
this project
Background
✓ A MOU for implementation of the study
project was signed between ESCAP and ECO
in July 2018
✓ Letter exchanged between ESCAP and IsDB in
September 2018 for transfer of funds
✓ Project implementation started in December
2018
✓ Project team constituted and inception meeting
April 2019
Background
✓ Project objective: To improve capacity of railway
and border officials along the KTI corridor to
commercialize the corridor to foster sustainable
transport
✓ Expected outcome: Government officials and
policy makers in transport ministries, railway
companies and border agencies establish operational
measures to commercialize the corridor
✓ Expected outputs: Increase awareness, knowledge
and understanding of railway and border officials to
commercialize the corridor
✓ Our expectations-work with the consultants,
sharing data, focal point support
✓ Benefits for countries
What is planned under the project?
Study on Enhancing freight flows along the
KTI railway corridor
1. Current freight flows
2. Linkage of KTI with other transport
corridors
3. Connection on KTI corridor with dry
ports/seaports
4. Freight flow projections
5. Identification of optimal routes,
commodities, sea and dry ports connections
6. Tariff structure
What is planned under the project?
Marketing Plan for KTI corridor
1. Need for a marketing plan
2. Identifying market segments
3. Developing market strategy for each
segment
4. Revenue projections
5. Preferred marketing setup for the
corridor
What is planned under the project?
Study to address physical and non-
physical barriers along KTI corridor
1. Existing railway infrastructure and rolling
stock along the corridor
2. State of technical, legal and operational
interoperability along the corridor
3. Linkages of KTI corridor with other
transport routes
4. Mapping performance of KTI railway
corridor to identify bottlenecks
5. Ways to address physical and non-physical
barriers along the KTI corridor
What is planned under the project?
Corridor Management Mechanism
1. Existing corridor mechanisms in EU
2. Eurasian railway corridor experience –
UTLC
3. CAREC Railway Strategy
4. Options to formalize corridor
management mechanism
5. Intergovernmental agreement or an MOU
General Structure of EU corridors
Executive Board
Management Board
Advisory Group
terminals
Advisory Group
Railways
One stop shop
Member States
Railway authorities
Railway operators
Timeline for implementation
S No. Activity (as per para 2 of the MOA
between ECO and ESCAP)
To be completed *
1. Recruitment of international
consultants
By end of March 2019
2. Organize inception meeting By end of April 2019
3. Organize mission to countries and
collection of information
April to October 2019
4. Organize review and validation
meeting
Review meeting (October/
November 2019)
Three months gap between review
and validation meeting
Validation meeting
(January/February 2020)
5. Organize meeting of heads of
railways
April/May 2020
6. Final reporting July/August 2020
http://www.unescap.org/our-work/transport
Thank you
for
your attention
Questions?
Comments?
