Geographically and historically, transport and trade have united Eurasia as much as geopolitical conflicts and imperial rivalries have kept it fragmented. Since the 2000s and even more so with the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Eurasian integration (EAEU) in progress, opportunities for a major diversification and modernization of the economies of continental Eurasia via transport and trade integration, at both a regional and global level, have risen dramatically and have in fact never been greater.

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.