For our country, the transport problem is extremely important and relevant, since the state’s economy depends on resources. They can be developed only in those areas where there is a high-quality transport system. Russia is characterized by problems in this area, but in recent years the situation has gradually begun to level off.
Why is it so important
Problems in this area lead to the impossibility of rapid and timely development of resources, and also hinder, and sometimes even completely lead to the collapse of entire industrial areas. This is all the more important because the main deposits in the central regions have long been close to depletion, and therefore the most remote areas of the Far East, as well as the Far North, will gradually be involved in the economic process. Of course, the extremely difficult conditions of these regions (especially in Yakutia) make the process of development more expensive and more complicated. Under these conditions, the transport system of Russia becomes almost gold. So, in recent years, the cost of maintaining the road network in remote regions, as well as geodetic exploration, has grown tenfold due to the lack of normal access roads.
All the events of recent years clearly demonstrate that the transport system of Russia can develop only if the country's scientific and technical potential is sufficient.
Key features of the vehicle
She, like any important economic sector of the country, is characterized by some specific signs:
- First, the transport itself does not produce any new products, being the most important “appendage” of the manufacturing sectors of the economy. Therefore, the final result is determined mainly by the efforts and attitude of workers in these areas.
- It is impossible to accumulate stocks of transport products (passengers and goods). And therefore, the main problems of the transport system of Russia (as well as throughout the world) are to create conditions for maximum throughput. It should be remembered that a dynamic change in this factor is often impossible, and therefore the slightest mistake can lead to a logistical collapse.
- The cost of fuel, depreciation and employee salaries account for almost half of the total cost of transport products. Therefore, resource saving and their rational use are of great importance.
- The requirements for work in this area are extremely high, since the continuity of communication depends on its quality. Therefore, the main tasks of the transport system of Russia are to increase the speed and quality of customer service.
The basic principles of strategic development of transport hubs
Experts believe that the development path should be not only the routes located in the West – East direction, but also North – South. This will not only allow more efficient development of mining, but also attract a large number of new settlers to these territories. It is no secret that in recent years there has been an increased outflow of the Russian-speaking population to the western regions. The main reason is precisely that there are no normal roads. Accordingly, there is no well-developed infrastructure that attracts the younger generation. Thus, the development of roads in many respects also determines the solution to the demographic problem, which is also very important for our state.
Note that there is another nuance. The fact is that our country has federated device which provides a certain degree of independence of the regions. In many ways this is good, but practice shows that the heads of these entities are not too interested in developing a transport system between neighboring regions. The result of such a policy is a paradoxical situation when the republics and regions located in the neighborhood are actually completely isolated formations from each other. So, what are the problems facing the transport system of Russia?
The complexity of the concept, development conditions
The complexity of this kind of system is characterized by its multi-purpose purpose, which involves the use of a network of roads for the transport of hundreds of goods. A dense road network should not have a detrimental effect on the environment, have “processes” for the timely redirection of traffic flows, have a simple and reliable engineering structure to simplify the repair of the roadway.
These principles should guide the development of the transport system of Russia. Such education should meet the following principles:
- To be a "link" between various sectors of the national economy. It should be noted that this concept is a relatively new one that has arisen in recent years: before, the transport system was not given so much importance in linking the country of the state with all its branches into a single, monolithic system.
- It should be able to balance both external and internal. What does external balance imply? There are several principles at once: the possibility of a smooth increase or decrease in passenger flow depending on the demographic situation in a particular region. Similarly, the situation with freight.
As for the internal balance, that it is no less complicated: it is necessary to properly compare transport needs with the real capabilities of the entire transport system. The market economy suggests that each of its types should bring a certain amount of deductions to the state treasury. The fact is that only if the costs of the transport system are comparable with its return, is it possible to properly develop it even in the most remote regions of the country.
Importance to society
Many scientists note that transport affects almost all aspects of society, and even those that are not directly related to this industry. Let us give only one, but very revealing example. It will help to understand how important the dynamic development of the transport system of Russia is.
Suppose we need to make a decision: to modernize the old highway or build a new one instead. Often, such a task is treated like an ordinary departmental procedure, which is fraught with a certain probability of neglect. Meanwhile, a lot depends on the right choice.
So, the standard practice, when the modernization of the transport system of Russia follows an extensive path, through the "refinement" of old roads, does not lead to anything good in urban conditions. The reconstruction entails enormous expenses, which include not only the costs of construction materials, but also road safety, as well as the dismantling of power lines and more.
In general, this is characteristic of our state: the peculiarities of the transport system of Russia are that in return for the seemingly obvious savings, we get a lot of unforeseen and big losses. Alas, even after decades, when this truth has been repeatedly confirmed, this problem is still not given sufficient attention.
Environmental problems
It should be remembered that the modernization of the transport system of Russia almost always comes into conflict with the environment.Apparently, there will certainly come a moment when the choice of a particular transport will depend precisely on the degree of harm that it will cause to nature around the transport arteries. Already, many Western countries are faced with the need for a kind of "environmental revolution." For our state this is not too typical yet, but ... We have already said that the unified transport system of Russia must have a developed road network in the regions of the Far North. And in those parts, neglect of the environment is sure to end extremely sadly.
Today, not one of the modes of transport can satisfy such strict standards simply physically. In principle, for our country in many respects the most justified railway connection. At high costs at the initial stage, railways not only justify all the money invested in them, but also allow you to make huge profits.
The most important properties of the transport system
Today, the state of the transport system in Russia must meet many requirements. It should fully satisfy all the needs of the population in traffic volumes, they should be as regular as possible, dynamic, with a maximum safety margin. According to the laws of a market economy, the system should provide maximum returns at low costs (not taking into account primary spending). But there are three special properties that should be considered with special attention.
Integrity property
The fact is that the unified transport system of Russia will always consist of various modes of transport. Despite their differences, they must represent the most uniform, monolithic formation that will cope with any volume of cargo and passenger flow.
Hierarchical property
This property was formulated in pre-revolutionary times. Then the railway transport mentioned above was of primary importance. Of course, the car now plays the predominant role.
Already in 2003, more than 13 billion tons of cargo was transported through it, and now this volume is about 2.5 times more! In terms of costs and the number of staff, it also ranks first. The role of aviation also increased. On the contrary, the volume of cargo transported by river transport has sharply decreased: in 2005 - 119 million tons, and now this value does not even reach 90 million tons. Moreover, this is not due to a fall in demand for fleet services, but because of the physical deterioration of rolling stock. No one is in a hurry to exchange ships for new ships. By the way, the problems of the development of the transport system of Russia are largely due to the obsolescence of the equipment and infrastructure used. To update them, tremendous funds are required, with the allocation of which considerable difficulties arise.
Thus, hierarchy is undoubtedly an existing indicator, but it is not a constant, changing significantly over time. For some indicators, the primary role of a variety will still be preserved, but the overall dynamics should provide for the harmonious development of all modes of transport.
Interpenetration and Synthesis
This property began to manifest itself clearly in the last few decades. So, for example, before, sea containers were transported only on ships, unloading and then picking up a new consignment of cargo in the port. Today, the same containers are transported not only by ships, but also by rail, as well as by means of heavy truck transport. Simply put, today it is often becoming more and more difficult to determine what type of transportation method belongs to a particular type.
Also today, the concept of “transmission from wheels” has arisen, which we have already mentioned in passing above.All of the above indicates the need dramatic changes in the structure of the concept, since modern transport systems in Russia still function according to the canons and “tracing-paper” of many years ago.
Directions and importance of the reorganization
It is important to understand that public systems, despite their external independence, should by no means be completely isolated from other modes of transport. Simply put, today there is an urgent need to erase and cancel the conditional boundaries with the inclusion in the general transport system of even urban route transport. Especially obvious is the need for such an approach when planning transport interchanges in industrial regions.
Dependence of transport on the geographical conditions of the area
Of course, the development of new roads and highways largely depends on the geographical characteristics of a particular area. Despite the difficulties, the transport system must necessarily connect the consumer and production, providing continuous and constant delivery of resources to production facilities. Of course, the characteristics of the terrain sometimes seriously limit the pace of development of a particular transport network: for example, thousands of tractors were sunk in the swamps of the infamous road builders of Western Siberia during the construction of highways. In such circumstances, construction is a real feat, and managing the transport system of Russia is seriously complicated due to these factors. In addition, the lack of warm ports in the region is a big problem, seriously limiting the possibilities of shipping in the field of transportation of large volumes of cargo.
Relations between transport and the national economy
In the national economy of any country, and even more so - Russia, with its vast expanses, transport systems play a special, extremely important role. Currently, it is they who can cover the ever-growing needs of people, since it is with their help that the movement of material assets in our society occurs. It will be useful to recall that without transport it is simply impossible to develop industrial and economic activity in any of the regions of our country, not to mention the areas located in the Far North and the Far East.
The ratio and importance of various modes of transport
In various republics and regions, the transport system of Russia also has its own characteristics. The Russian Federation is a huge state, and therefore there is nothing to be surprised at. So, near large cities (especially not far from the sea coast), the system is especially complex, including ports, airfields, railways and roads. At the same time, somewhere in the remote areas of the Kola Peninsula there are only a few more or less developed roads, on which the entire supply of the area is supported.
It should be remembered that in our country there are several logistics structures, each of which is important in some way. Here is an approximate structure of the transport system of Russia:
- Railways
- Automobile transport.
- Aviation.
- Piping systems.
- Fleets: river and sea communications. Since some vessels have the ability to operate in the sea and rivers, this type of transport can be called simply "ship".
Depending on the geographical location, economic condition and other factors, the characteristics of the transport system in Russia are different and can vary within wide limits. As in the old days, railway communication is prevailing when transporting long distances of especially large loads in the shortest possible time, as well as for transporting a large number of passengers. The latter is especially important in suburban areas.
The importance of rail and road transport systems
One can only recall how a couple of years ago the commuter transportation of passengers by train was almost eliminated, and what negative consequences this led to. Many settlements built along the railroads, in fact, lost all communication with the outside world, and the outflow of the remaining population from there increased even more. To date, many routes have been restored, but the overall situation has improved poorly.
Unlike the United States, in this case, road transport simply cannot compete with the railways and / or completely replace them, since we simply do not have a sane infrastructure, and most importantly, we do not have an extensive network of highways of appropriate quality. Because of this, long-distance transportation is carried out almost exclusively by trains, since other methods are too expensive.
Thus, this variety is used almost exclusively for the frequent transportation of passengers, as well as for the delivery of relatively small volumes of cargo.
Shipping
What is the place of Russian transport in the global transport system? Quite a large, moreover, maritime transport plays an important role. Russian freight ships transport huge volumes of cargo annually. Of course, the value for domestic transport (coastal swimming) is even higher. If we talk about the regions of the Far North, then some villages and even small towns in those places are completely dependent on the fleet, because only with the help of ships can a sufficient amount of food, medicine and fuel be delivered.
Inland river transport is used to transport certain quantities of cargo over short distances, as well as for suburban tourist routes and passenger transportation. In principle, in recent years, this kind of fleet is rapidly dying, unable to withstand competition with commuter trains and buses, and therefore ships are used only for insignificant volumes of cargo transportation.
Specialized types of transport
These, for example, include all types of pipelines. Despite all the predictions of science fiction writers, to this day they are used only for the transfer of liquid or gaseous substances, and therefore occupy a very important, but extremely specialized niche.
Oddly enough, but aviation also belongs to a very highly specialized transport group. Aerodromes, on which really large planes carrying huge amounts of cargo can land, are in isolated cities, and small, rotary aircraft are used in very limited quantities and do not play a special role nationwide.