New Delhi: Russia wants to explore a railway route to the Indian Ocean as it seeks alternatives to maritime trade routes. The proposal comes amid concerns over disruptions and risks around key chokepoints, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Bosphorus.
In an interview with the Tass news agency, the Russian deputy prime minister, Marat Khusnullin, said the proposal should be examined as Moscow seeks to reduce the risks linked to key maritime chokepoints.
According to the report, Khusnullin said a possible overland route could run through Turkmenistan, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan before reaching the Indian Ocean. He also said Russia would consider options that provide connectivity to India, keeping open the possibility of a wider rail link towards the Indian market.
The proposal comes as disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz have raised concerns over the reliability of maritime trade routes. The waterway is one of the world’s most important energy corridors, carrying around 25% of global oil trade and about 20% of liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments, according to the report.
For Russia, developing an alternative land route could reduce its dependence on vulnerable sea passages for trade with markets to the south. A rail connection through Central and South Asia could also strengthen Russia’s wider transport links with countries around the Indian Ocean.
The proposed route would, however, cross several countries and would involve significant infrastructure and coordination challenges. The report does not indicate that Russia has finalized the route, reached agreements with all the countries involved or set a construction timeline.
The proposal also comes in the context of Russia’s existing efforts to expand the International North-South Transport Corridor, which aims to connect Russia with Iran and India through a network of rail, road and maritime routes. The new proposal would add another possible route towards the Indian Ocean and could potentially complement existing connectivity plans.
India has a particular interest in such corridors because improved overland connectivity with Russia could provide another option for moving goods between the two countries and reduce dependence on longer maritime routes. However, any route involving Afghanistan and Pakistan would also depend on political, security and infrastructure conditions across the region.
Khusnullin also discussed Russia’s domestic construction sector in the same interview. He said the industry could handle an additional 1 trillion roubles in annual activity and expand further if that level of financing continues for five years.
For now, the railway proposal remains at the exploration stage. Its significance lies in Moscow’s search for alternative trade routes as geopolitical tensions make established maritime corridors more vulnerable to disruption.