The transport network structure of the St.Petersburg region and its impact on Russian-Finnish economic cooperation

Abstract

This paper provides a general assessment of transport network of the St.Petersburg region and examines the possibilities for collaboration between Russia and Finland in utilizing and enhancing the function of this network.Treating transport infrastructure as a precondition to certain forms of international economic relations, the authors argue that in recent years the transport network under review has become increasingly inadequate to handle the changing and growing needs of economic collaboration between the two countries. Nevertheless, prospects for the future are not entirely gloomy. Russia, Finland and many other countries stand to benefit substantially from the development of the transport infrastructure in the St.Petersburg region.Therefore a number of joint projects have currently been started to remedy the situation.