1700's Silk Road more important than Shipping

I'm working on a scenario that makes the Silk Road through central Asia the main route for trade in the 18th Century, rather than slacking off as shipping routes took over.

Are there any obvious reasons shipping would fail to take over?

Perhaps the planet is mostly landlocked with insignificant oceans for sea routes, or maybe naval/navigation technology failed to appear.

1st you need to make sure that OTL Mongolia and Kazakhstan is Allied and have built trade-road-logistic infrastructure through Silk Road and provide safe travel on this Silk road.
2nd You need to make sure that Ottoman built Caspian-Black sea canal and make sure this was international water.
I think this will allow Silk Road to be major trade route between East Asia and Europe.
 
Perhaps a surviving Mongol Khanate would help, but shippping has the advantage of being capable of moving large quantities of goods over large distances. It's difficult to wave away that advantage.

When railway invented Railroad transportation was very capable of competing with Ocean shipping transportation. Before Suez canal distance through land was a lot shorter, so it makes sense to prosper Silk road trade.
 
When railway invented Railroad transportation was very capable of competing with Ocean shipping transportation. Before Suez canal distance through land was a lot shorter, so it makes sense to prosper Silk road trade.

The Trans-Sib was not really competetive even with around-Africa shipping until sometime into the Soviet Era.

It was a huge improvement when it was built of course but it wasn't a game changer.

Sea freight is just so much cheaper....
 
The Trans-Sib was not really competetive even with around-Africa shipping until sometime into the Soviet Era.

It was a huge improvement when it was built of course but it wasn't a game changer.

Sea freight is just so much cheaper....

Heck, when the Northern Sea Route [around the north of Eurasia] was properly completed, it became a serious option for major freight shipping.
And that's even though most of it used to be covered in ice (not as much anymore, of course).
 
The Trans-Sib was not really competetive even with around-Africa shipping until sometime into the Soviet Era.

It was a huge improvement when it was built of course but it wasn't a game changer.

Sea freight is just so much cheaper....

Trans-Sib wasn't built till early 1900's. That time Suez canal was already built. Also Trans-Sib was unattractive because this was controlled by Russian Empire. During early 1900's Empires just was too much protectionist. It wasn't about transportation cost. It was politically motivated. Also Silk road railway will be much shorter than Trans-Sib... The development of super transport ship that made Sea freight unquestionable dominant transport method.
Most important thing here is distance. If sea route is much longer then railway is much competitive. Moreover railway is all weather transport.
 
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Railroads are only all weather to the extent that the weather isn't terrible.

And distance matters less than time.
 
Railroads are only all weather to the extent that the weather isn't terrible.

And distance matters less than time.

Volume matters more than distance or time, really. Though the Trans-Sib worked in nearly all weather, laying one through Central Asia would almost guarantee year-round exploitation.

The problem here is achieving enough political stability and logistics for workers to build it in the first place.
 
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