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by anken
2866 days ago
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In this comparative study from New Zealand: https://www.nzta.govt.nz/assets/resources/research/reports/4... you can find a Comparative evaluation of transport modes where maritime shipping is cheaper than train, but this depends on the number of containers (you can put much more on a vessel). If we can increase the number of containers on trains, this could change. Also right now the China-Belgium trip can take 20 days by train (cf. https://www.train-chain.com/) and usually around 30 days by sea. |
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This increases wear on the train and tracks. We might have materials breakthroughs that change the balance. But such materials would make (a) shipping more efficient and (b) large fractions of the existing Belt and Road obsolete.
> right now the China-Belgium trip can take 20 days by train (cf. https://www.train-chain.com/) and usually around 30 days by sea
Emphasis on can. In any case, there is a reason the world's commercial shippers are all focussing on Arctic maritime routes.
Rail is a neat way of controlling territory. It's better than trucking or flying, when it comes to cost. But water beats it at scale.