The e-commerce boom has become a sign of today. The main factors here are the focus on the PRC as a driver of global demand and the «workshop of the world», as well as the attraction of electronic cross-border trade to faster delivery methods, one of which is railways.

Railroads play a crucial role in the Eurasian ITCs. Because of the speed and reliability of deliveries it provides, railway transportation is starting to compete with shipment by sea (advantage of speed) and air (advantage of cost). The competition with alternative routes has to be taken into account, whereas the strategy should be built around the available advantages of the existing routes and the complementary nature of others.