Shipping cargo from Russia and within its territory. The cargo transportation system of Russia

Russia is the largest country in the world by area. It occupies almost a third of Eurasia - the largest continent on the planet. Almost all types of climate are represented in Russia, and therefore the conditions for the development of different regions of the country vary significantly. Significant differences in the economies of the regions are also explained by the presence or absence of natural resources.

In terms of nominal GDP, Russia ranks 11th in the world. If GDP is recalculated based on purchasing power parity (PPP), Russia will become the sixth largest economy in the world. At the same time, GDP per capita in Russia corresponds to the 68th place in the world ranking. One rank higher is Venezuela, one rank lower is Brazil.

Transport provision for shipments to and from Russia

Russia has all types of modern transport: air, road, water, rail, and a developed infrastructure for them. A significant part of the infrastructure was created during the socialist era. The deteriorating infrastructure is not always restored in a timely manner. At the same time, new elements are being built and some old ones are being modernized. The state of transport infrastructure in Russia varies greatly by region.

To the west, Russia borders EU countries, to the east with China, and to the south with Kazakhstan, and through it, has access to Central Asian countries. Russia has access to all the world's oceans except the Indian Ocean. It seems that Russia's fate is to become a transit superpower. In reality, transit through Russia, although relatively large, is far from fully utilized. Transport corridors are incomplete. For example, the "North-South" corridor starts in Helsinki and ends in Gdansk. The "East-West" corridor starts in Berlin and ends in Nizhny Novgorod.

Infrastructure for cargo transportation by road

The total length of Russian roads is almost 1.4 million km. Of these, 984 thousand km have a solid surface. Federal roads account for 51 thousand km. Federal highways, especially in the central region of Russia, are in good condition, while their condition deteriorates closer to the periphery. The remaining Russian roads are a kind of roulette; a road may be relatively good quality or may be in terrible condition.

Travel on some sections of Russian roads is subject to tolls. The amount of payment depends on the type of vehicle, the distance traveled on the toll section, and the time of day.

Russia's capabilities for receiving and sending air cargo

Air cargo delivery is expensive and therefore used relatively rarely. Nevertheless, the infrastructure for such shipments has been created in Russia. There are 227 active airports located on Russian territory. 69 of them have international status. The list is too long for this article, so let's say it starts in the city of Abakan and ends in the city of Yaroslavl.

The most well-known airports are located in the cities:

• Moscow. Three international airports.
• Saint Petersburg.
• Murmansk.
• Vladivostok.
• Yekaterinburg.
• Stavropol.
• Krasnodar.

Russian water transport infrastructure

For cargo transportation on Russia's inland waters, almost 102 thousand km of rivers, canals, and lakes are available. The network of canals built during the Soviet era connected the Volga-Kama river basin with the White, Baltic, Black, and Azov seas. As a result of the construction of these canals, Moscow became a port of five seas. The fifth sea is the Caspian Sea. The Volga River flows into it. The transportation of goods by river transport accounts for about 4% of the total volume of cargo transportation in Russia.

The Baltic Sea belongs to the Atlantic Ocean, so Russia has access to three of the four oceans of the planet. The other two are the Arctic and Pacific Oceans. Russia has 67 seaports.

The most well-known of them are located in the cities:

• Novorossiysk.
• Tuapse.
• Saint Petersburg.
• Kalingrad.
• Baltijsk.
• Vyborg.
• Murmansk.
• Arkhangelsk.
• Kemi.
• Vanino.
• Vladivostok.
• Nakhodka.

Rail transport in Russia

The length of Russian railway tracks is 68 thousand km, about half of which is electrified. Rail transport accounts for 85% of the country's internal cargo turnover.

When planning export or import shipments by rail, it should be noted that the standard gauge for Russia of 1520 mm is used only in countries that were previously part of the USSR. Finland and Poland, which were previously part of the Russian Empire, have a different gauge. Finland retained the imperial standard of 1524 mm, while in Poland, the Germans who occupied it converted the gauge to the standard for Europe of 1435 mm. In China, the gauge is also 1435 mm. Export and import shipments of goods by rail beyond the territory of the former USSR require transshipment of goods en route.

Russia's export supplies

Russia exports a huge range of goods: machinery products, agricultural products, metals and products made from them, timber and lumber, and much more. However, the main revenues from exports come from oil and gas sales. The majority of oil and gas is transported abroad by pipeline transport.