JSC Ukrzaliznytsia has served the first transit train on the Sanya-Slawkow (China-Poland) route, head of the company Yevhen Kravtsov said on his Facebook page.
“The first container train from China to the European Union traveled 39 hours and 54 minutes through the territory of Ukraine. For the first time, the train traveled on the wide gauge LHS without an overload on the border. Colleagues met it in Poland’s Slawkow. The China-E transit route through Ukraine is reliable, cheap and convenient for all participants in the logistics chain, and this train is a good and first important sign in organizing large-scale projects with China and Central Asia for Ukrzaliznytsia,” Kravtsov said.
He also said that Ukrzaliznytsia has a number of advantages for such routes and their development in the future, as it can be part of the land, sea and TITR routes (Trans-Caspian International Transport Route).
At the same time, he noted a decrease in the volume of transit traffic of the country as a whole.
“Since 2008, the volume of transit traffic of Ukraine has been falling. Transit from China to the EU countries has a number of artificial barriers with political coloring. This is not a business issue, but geopolitics,” Kravtsov explained, adding that Ukrzaliznytsia is the most reliable partner for transit, as it offers alternative and profitable routes.
According to the head of Ukrzaliznytsia, the indicated container train left China’s Xi’an for Slawkow, the travel time was 12 days. According to Kravtsov, for the Ukrainian railway company this is an effective beginning of the year in freight traffic.
Ukrzaliznytsia jointly with Belarusian and Lithuanian railways has launched the Containerships Train new regular container train running across Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine.
Ukrzaliznytsia Board Chairman Yevhen Kravtsov wrote on his Facebook page that the train will run between Draugyste (Lithuania) and Brovary (Ukraine) twice a week.
“Last year can be called a “container boom” in Ukrzaliznytsia. The Containerships Train is our 22nd container train running in Ukraine. Competitive delivery speed regardless of weather conditions, regular trips, the understandable schedule. Add to this the decrease in logistics costs on average by 25%. The benefits are undeniable,” he said.
The head of Ukrzaliznytsia said that as part of the first Containerships Train with 65 containers will arrive at the Brovary station in 50 hours. The company plans to organize container transportation to the Odesa seaport.
“Draugyste is located near the port of Klaipeda. So this autumn we are planning another route – to the Odesa seaport. Considering the reorientation of domestic exports to the EU countries and the increase in cargoes addressed to seaports, container shipping will be useful,” Kravtsov said.
Ukrzaliznytsia (Kyiv) is negotiating with IPC Business UG (Leipzig, Germany) on the organization of the regular container train from Kyiv to Leipzig in the coming months, Ukrzaliznytsia Board Chairman Yevhen Kravtsov said at Transport Logistic 2019 held in Munich (Germany) from June 4 through June 7.
“We are currently negotiating with IPC Business UG, which expressed its readiness to organize the Kyiv-Leipzig regular container train with us in the coming months,” the press service of Ukrzaliznytsia said, citing Kravtsov.
In addition, as the head of Ukrzaliznytsia said, during the exhibition a number of projects were considered to increase traffic from China to Ukraine, as well as in transit through Ukraine to the EU countries.
According to Kravtsov, in particular, the Chinese Association of CCTA and Chengdu International Railway Service Co., Ltd. confirmed their readiness to organize a train from China to Poland and back using the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route Middle Corridor (TITR) in July 2019.
JSC Ukrzaliznytsia has launched a new regular container train from the station Nyzhniodniprovsk-Vuzol station to Slawkow (Poland).
According to a report on Ukrzaliznytsia’s website, this train will collect containers from the Zaporizhia, Mariupol-Sortuvalny and Nikopol stations every Saturday.
“The direct container train, which follows a strict schedule without maneuvering operations on the way and with an accelerated border crossing technology, is a year-round all-weather alternative to road transportation,” Ukrzaliznytsia Head Yevhen Kravtsov commented on the launch of the train.
According to the state railway carrier, this is already the 19th container train, which will run on an ongoing basis, eight of which are transit trains.
“Now we are considering the possibility of organizing new container trains on the route Lithuania-Ukraine-Lithuania,” the expert said.
