TOGLIATTI, April 10. /TASS/. Russia is taking concrete steps to adapt its transport and logistics system to modern challenges in a bid to ensure economic independence, Russian presidential aide and Marine Board Chairman Nikolay Patrushev said.
"To secure economic independence, Russia is taking specific measures to adapt its transport and logistics system to new challenges and eliminate existing infrastructure and logistical bottlenecks. In the current environment, international transport corridors play an increasingly important role in maintaining stable export-import and transit cargo flows across our territory — particularly along the most promising routes," Patrushev said at a meeting on the development of multimodal logistics hubs.
One such route, Patrushev noted, is the North-South International Transport Corridor (ITC), which is intended to provide Russia with new access to markets in the Global South. This corridor already facilitates the transport of commodities such as grain, coal, and ferrous metals, with cargo volumes increasing across all modes of transport, he said.
"According to the Russian government’s plans, the throughput capacity of the North-South transport corridor is to be 30 mln metric tons in 2030 and 35 mln metric tons in 2035," Patrushev noted.
To improve the corridor’s efficiency, various projects are underway to build, upgrade, and modernize transport infrastructure, the official said. "Expanding and upgrading the inland waterway network will not only improve connectivity and accessibility across Russian regions, but also serve as a foundation for the development of our industry, agriculture, energy sector, and the national economy as a whole. This is a step toward creating the economy of the future, one that is flexible, resilient and inclusive," Patrushev stressed.
In January 2025, the Russian Ministry of Transport approved a comprehensive plan on the development of inland waterways through 2030, which aligns with the national Transport Strategy and provides for modernizing the fleet and infrastructure, development of multimodal logistics centers, increase in the volume and speed of cargo and passenger traffic and integration of internal water transport with rail and road networks," Patrushev noted. "This approach is being proactively implemented now in Far East destinations, where logistical operators attempt to cope with increased cargo flows by engaging different kinds of transport," he added.