On the Performance of the "Sakhalin - Mainland" Railway Project
E.B. KIBALOV, A.A. KIN
Institute of Economics and Industrial Engineering, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 17, Ac. Lavrentiev av., Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
Keywords: railway project, the Nevelskoy Strait, the La Perouse Strait, transport corridor, economic goals, non-economic goals, complicated decisions, project expenses, the Japan-Korea Undersea Tunnel
Abstract
The article views a problem of establishing ground transportation that connects Sakhalin Island to mainland Russia through the prism of history: from the imperial era to the present day where the Sakhalin-Mainland railway project is interpreted as a breakthrough component in the strategy of strengthening Russia’s trade and economic ties with Asia-Pacific and, above all, Japan. We emphasize that the project cannot be cost-effective if it is confined to building a bridge or a tunnel across the Nevelskoy Strait and focuses only on the Sakhalin Railway. It is also necessary to incorporate a bridge across the La Perouse Strait in the project, which will provide access to the Japanese railway network and allow container traffic from Japan to Europe via Russia. With this approach, the Sakhalin-Mainland federal project becomes international, and its successful implementation will not only meet the project’s economic objectives but also solve Russia’s political and military strategic problems in the Pacific.
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