Global transport & logistics infrastructure

Abstract

The article is devoted to an in-depth study of the key aspects of the world transportation and logistics infrastructure in the context of globalization’s current stage. Various kinds of external and internal drivers of transport infrastructure growth in the recent decades are considered. The author singles out the main of them: international trade, containerization, computerization, sophisticated logistics and optimization systems. The globalization of economic activities pushed up the rapid development of the international trade and global value chains (GVCs). Containerization led to a dramatic increase of the importance of maritime transport and the seaports. The latters now serve as the core of the global logistic schemes. Special attention is paid to the review of the transcontinental trade in manufacturing goods in the triangle Europe – Asia – North America. Almost 1/3 of the total foreign trade in manufactured goods is now circulating via these three main global trade routes. Since 1970th the transportation infrastructure has been globalized by massive usage of shipping containers (TEUs). The principal advantage of containers’ technology is the intermodal capability that allows low-cost delivery of large volumes of industrial and consumer products across the globe. It is pointed out that container’s rapid proliferation in the modern transportation networks triggered wide-scale construction of supportive infrastructure: specialized sea terminals, berths, cranes, port equipment, warehouses. The dynamic creation of new transport infrastructure provided an important contribution to the global economic development. While assessing the prospects, the author compares the status of investments into the transport and logistics infrastructure in developed and developing countries. It is argued that, despite gradual obsolescence of the transport infrastructure in the developed countries, until now it continues to function quite smoothly and efficiently.