Russia's Railway Expansion and Asia-Europe Trade

Russia's recent approval of a $17 billion investment in the Trans-Siberian Railway has cleared the path for the first major expansion of the 9,300-kilometer (roughly 5,800-mile) line in decades. The project is intended to help increase exports of Russian commodities and solidify the country's role facilitating overland trade between Europe and Asia.

Rail-based transport between the two continents is considerably cheaper than seaborne transit, and Russia's infrastructure investments could relieve economic pressure on European and Asian countries that are struggling to maintain current trade levels. However, Russia's aspirations to increase its value as a land bridge between Europe and Asia could be complicated by technical challenges, possible competing railways and skepticism among countries wary of Russia's history of leveraging infrastructure investments for political influence.