Статья: Responsibilities of a transport university for the development and dissemination of advanced competencies in the fi elds of transport and transport education in the context of the expanding BRICS space (2024)

The article is devoted to Memorial Day of the organizer and the fi rst rector of PGUPS Augustine Betancourt

The article covers the life and certain episodes of the activities of Augustin Betancourt (1758–1814), an outstanding engineer, scientist, architect, teacher, and statesman of Spain and Russia, in Russia. Arriving in Russia at the personal invitation of Emperor Alexander I, and being in the Russian service from 1808 to 1824, A. Betancourt left a notable mark in the history of engineering and construction, in the development of industry and transport of the Russian Empire, and formation of engineering education in the country.

Based on the sources, including those of the XIX century, the article provides information on the main projects implemented by him in Russia, offers characteristics of the relations between Augustin Betancourt and Emperor Alexander I, and other statesmen of that epoch, and reveals some personal and psychological peculiarities of behaviour of the engineer and scientist. An attempt is made to study the reasons for the tsar’s disfavour of Augustin Betancourt and his resignation from government posts. The article describes the conspicuous merits of A. Betancourt, his contribution to speeding up the industrial revolution in Russia, gives the main facts related to the special role of the scientists of Emperor Alexander I St. Petersburg State Transport University (PGUPS),the successor of the Institute of the Corps of Railway Engineers (IKIPS), organised by Betancourt, and the Betancourt’s Legacy International Scientifi c and Educational Project held since 2015 and the annual Betancourt International Engineering Forums dedicated to the development of higher engineering education in the world. This article is dedicated to the memory of Augustin Betancourt and is published in the year of the 200th anniversary of his passing on July 26 (14), 1824.

The Baikal-Amur Mainline is one of the most ambitious and controversial Soviet projects on the sociopolitical and historical trail of perception. The proposal to build a new railway north of the Trans-Siberian Railway was put forward at the beginning of the 20th century. The idea was approached in the 1920s and 1930s. Surveys were conducted, and construction began on one of the sites, which was interrupted by the Great Patriotic War (World War II). Moreover, during the war years, the upper structure of the track and a number of engineering structures were dismantled on the constructed site, which were used for the construction of the extremely important rockade railway in the Stalingrad area, which played a signifi cant role in supplying Soviet troops during the Battle of Stalingrad. The interest in the construction of the BAM of the Soviet leadership in the 1960s and 1970s arose again in the context of an aggravation of the political situation — the complication of relations between the USSR and the People’s Republic of China. However, already during this period, the question was reasonably raised not only about the political, but also the economic strategic signifi cance of the project from the perspective of the country’s development prospects, the development of natural resources in this region, the development of transport links between the European, Siberian, and Far Eastern territories of the state. In the period after the collapse of the USSR, the BAM construction project, not without the infl uence of those who were under Western infl uence in the country’s leadership circles, was classifi ed as erroneous, extremely costly, economically and socially unjustifi ed. Today, in society, the state, under the infl uence of many factors of recent years, there is an understanding of the importance of completing and developing the BAM construction project. This project has played a big role in the lives of millions of people, many organizations and institutions. Among them is the Leningrad Institute of Railway Engineers — today the St. Petersburg State University of Railways of Emperor Alexander I, whose students, graduates, scientists and specialists have been involved in various forms in the construction of the Baikal-Amur Mainline for half a century.

This article examines the current metrics and future prospects for the development of transportation and logistics routes connecting BRICS member countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Iran). It analyses railway transport indicators, the dynamics and structure of mutual trade, as well as the main destinations of Russian exports. A special focus is placed on infrastructure projects and trends in multimodal transportation. The study highlights the signifi cance of investment in infrastructure and the optimization of logistics processes, emphasizing the potential for enhanced economic cooperation among BRICS members.

Talking points for the speech by the Head of Moscow Railway V. F. Tanaev at the III Conference of the Association of Rectors of Transport Universities BRICS as part of the events of the BRICS Business Council Subgroup on Transport and Logistics. June 10, 20241.

The article deals with a new perspective on increasing logistics connectivity of BRICS countries through development of transport routes. The typology of routes was proposed for the fi rst time as a result of activities of the Subgroup for Transport and Logistics of the BRICS Business Council and summarized in the Guide of BRICS Transport Routes. Descriptions of main parameters of the routes as well as barriers to their development are presented in the article. The value of research lies in the preparation of recommendations to overcome barriers to development of these routes, which will create conditions for the growth of mutual trade and economic growth of BRICS countries.

On June 10–11, 2024, the Emperor Alexander I St. Petersburg Transport University (PGUPS) in St. Petersburg hosted the III Conference of the Association of Rectors of Transport Universities of BRICS+.