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Belarus-Lithuania rapid freight train project under consideration
MINSK, 3 October (BelTA) – Lithuania is considering the possibility of launching a fast freight train to transport cargoes to and from Belarus. The idea was discussed as Belarusian Transport and Communications Minister Aleksei Avramenko met with Lithuanian Transport and Communications Minister Jaroslav Narkevic on the sidelines of the Belarusian Transport Week, BelTA has learned.
Jaroslav Narkevic said: “Today we see positive dynamics of growing freight transportation with Belarus. The mixed-cargo train Viking remains one of the most competitive projects in our cooperation and demonstrates growth of 20%. Additionally we are considering the possibility of arranging a rapid train to regularly transport staple cargoes between our countries.”
Aleksei Avramenko remarked that Lithuania is one of the leading economic partners of Belarus and transit transportation represents one of the main directions of cooperation. “Lithuania and the Klaipeda port in particular have been partners of Belarusian importers and exporters for a long time. The share of Belarusian freight transshipped in the Klaipeda port every year has been exceeding 30% for the last five years,” the transport and communications minister said.
Passenger traffic rises steadily, too. In January-August 2019 it grew by 13%. Jaroslav Narkevic believes the sides should work together to bolster the appeal of the “four capitals train” Kiev-Minsk-Vilnius-Riga.
Apart from that, the meeting touched upon the modernization of the Medininkai-Kamenny Log border checkpoint, which handles nearly half of all the freight traffic transported by road between Lithuania and Belarus. Jaroslav Narkevic said that preparations are proceeding on schedule on the Lithuanian side: the expansion of the motorway section going through the border checkpoint from four to eight traffic lanes will begin in late 2019 to end by 2023.
The Belarusian side uses financial resources of the European Investment Bank to implement the project for reconstructing the M7 Minsk-Vilnius motorway and modernize the Kamenny Log border checkpoint.
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