Improving Transnational Transport Corridors
In the OIC Member Countries: Concepts and Cases
177
Table 66: Corridor performance
Average driving speed (without stop) 63.3 km/h
Average driving speed (with stop) 18.5 km/h
Total travel time 6 days
Waiting time in queue 55.1 hours
Duration border control 10.1 hours
Travel costs USD 356 per truck trip
Unofficial costs USD 19 per truck trip
Source: Road Transport Consultancy Services for Developing a LAS Trade and Road Transport Facilitation
Strategy (2013).
4.8.10. Conclusion
Mashreq North-South Corridor is not a transport corridor and meets none of the criteria for
such a corridor. As such, there is no corridor management at all. Its virtue is that there is a
well-constructed road that passes through the countries. Main conclusions to be drawn from
this case study are:
1. There is evidence of political initiatives to advance regionalization such as the Arab
League. However, conflict and unstable governance has undermined progress.
2. Mutual economic activity is reflected in low intra-regional trade, which is 6.3% of
global trade, whereas this number is 60% in the EU. There is no evidence that the intra
trade will be increasing, mainly due to the fact that each country has access to its own
port.
3. The average LPI of the corridor countries is lower than the world average, which
means that the physical performance is undermined by lack of harmonized systems
and excessive NTBs.
4. Common road technical standards are in place, which makes the operating
environment for the corridor is very good.
4.8.11. Recommendation
The main recommendations for this corridor are as follows:
 To establish a corridor secretariat. This will enable the route to be promoted, monitoring
data to be processed and, importantly, to restore its integratory. The transport corridor
can then play its role as a catalyst for peace, to resolve the conflict.
 The next step is to set up a transport observatory and to come up with a master plan for
rebuilding road and rail, as well as one stop border posts and harmonized controls.
 One of the first things that OIC and Arab League need to do post conflict is to promote the
international road and rail corridor as a vehicle to improve international relations and
rebuild the affected economies.