Russian logistics companies to jointly develop transit potential of Kaliningrad region for China-EU freight
Four Russian major logistics companies have teamed up to organise new intermodal services via the Kaliningrad region. The key focus of the joint initiative is to expand and promote the transit potential of the Russian exclave for rail freight traffic between China and the European Union.
UTLC ERA, the Kaliningrad Railway, the Port of Kaliningrad and the Baltic Stevedoring Company signed a memorandum of cooperation. The document is related to joining forces for providing a stable schedule of the declared container trains as well as attracting additional freight traffic through the Kaliningrad region.
Due to the growing demand for container transport by rail between China and Europe, the parties will focus on organising new multimodal services from the Dostyk/Altynkol border crossing to the EU, mainly to Germany, via the Kaliningrad Railway with further transhipment to vessels or only rail freight services via the mentioned region of Russia and adjacent rail infrastructure of Poland. “The Kaliningrad direction is being dynamically developed in our country today. And we are planning its further development for several years ahead by concluding this memorandum. In terms of infrastructure capabilities,” said Sergei Pavlov, the first deputy of general director of Russian Railways.
Recently, the Kaliningrad region has become competitive for European, South Asian and Chinese customers in terms of prices, technologies and transit time. Services through the territory of the region have great potential for growth due to the possibility of using both the infrastructure of land border crossings and multimodal communication through ports. “Already this year, according to our forecasts, the volume of freight moved by UTLC ERA in the Kaliningrad direction may exceed 120,000 TEU,” commented Alexey Grom, general director of UTLC ERA.