Belarus sends first end-to-end freight train to Uzbekistan
Baku, July 30, AZERTAC
An official send-off was held at Orsha-Vostochnaya station on 30 July for the first end-to-end freight train Slavic Caravan, which will travel along the route Belarus - Russia - Kazakhstan - Uzbekistan, BelTA has learned.
The train includes wagons loaded with wood-processing products, food cargo such as sugar and potato starch, as well as animal feed. At the initial stage, this service will operate twice a month. Orsha-Vostochnaya was chosen as the consolidation station because cargo from all regions of Belarus arrives there.
In the future, the range of cargo is expected to expand, including wagons with containers delivered by road transport, allowing full use of multimodal logistics. “Cargo has already been transported along the Belarus-Uzbekistan route. But together with our Uzbek colleagues, we have developed a completely new, higher-quality service. The train will pass through Russia and Kazakhstan without being split up or making additional stops, and will arrive in Uzbekistan. This will almost halve delivery times and ensure reliable cargo safety. The train will run according to a passenger-train-style schedule, meaning we will know exactly when it departs and when it arrives. Single 20-tonne containers can be included in the train. Small Belarusian enterprises will no longer need to accumulate cargo for a full 60-tonne wagon: they can ship smaller batches. We also offer a consolidated container service for cargo from multiple shippers,” explained Valery Verenich, head of Belarusian Railways.
A second train of this type has already been formed. The Slavic Caravan project is being implemented as part of high-level decisions to increase supplies of Belarusian machinery, wood-processing products, and agricultural goods that are in demand on the Uzbek market.
Vitebsk Oblast Governor Aleksandr Ragozhnik emphasized that the project is mutually beneficial. “For both Belarusian and Uzbek goods, delivery cost and timing are crucial. For example, delivering a 20-tonne container is at least one and a half times cheaper than by road. Previously, shipping a single wagon could take up to two months, while this train will reach Uzbekistan in 5-7 days. And it is not only about our exports: an identical train will depart with goods from Uzbekistan, from light-industry products to foodstuffs, including fruit that does not grow in Belarus. This cooperation is mutually advantageous. And it is doubly pleasant that Vitebsk Oblast has become such a logistics hub,” he said.
Aleksandr Ragozhnik added that he will visit Uzbekistan in mid-August, where a cooperation roadmap is planned to be signed with the leadership of Andijan Region.
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