Technological barriers to interoperability in railway transport between Europe and China

The growth in freight-traffic between Europe and China is driving the quest for new transport routes between these regions. One of the options is to use railway routes. The concept of using railway connections is referred to as the New Silk Route. A number of analyses of freight traffic point to a huge demand for this type of transport since sea freight is marked by seasonality, long travel times and the growing problem of congested ports, both in China and Europe. Currently, there are several railway connections between China and Europe. These connections are hindered by intermodal transport and transhipment, which extend freight travel time, generate extra costs and result in the low capacity of these connections. In order to increase capacity, new connections should be developed using the interoperability of all the railway routes between Europe and China. Many barriers, however, impede this idea. Many of those barriers are technological in nature. This paper looks into technological barriers that constrain interoperability in railway transport between Europe and China. The first section sheds some light on the idea of interoperability, as well as railway connections between Europe and China. The second section points to the technological barriers in this kind of transport. The next section presents some possible solutions for removing the barriers. The final section provides a summary.