The European Union, China and the United States play the largest role in international trade, in terms of supplying products and as markets, and their trade relations largely determine the configuration of cargo flows in the international transport system.

The Eurasian Rail Alliance Index (ERAI) was introduced for the first time exactly a year ago, at PRO//Dvizhenie.1520 Transport Logistics Forum in Sochi. It is a unique instrument that allows any market player to decide on the delivery mode by assessing the cost of transportation via the longest leg of the Trans-Eurasian Route.