"By continuing to implement measures for the development of transport and logistics infrastructure, we are gradually moving to a new modern format for freight transportation, namely multimodal terminal and logistics centres across the entire Russian rail network. Initially, we are planning to form a network which will include three so-called rail dry ports, 17 terminal and logistics centres and 29 satellite terminals. This will provide the opportunity in the future to raise our transportation services to a new, higher level," said the President of Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin, who was speaking at the plenary session of the Forum "Strategic Partnership 1520: Eastern and Western Europe" in Minsk.
According to Yakunin, the network of terminal and logistics centres now being set up, and which is being linked by regular container trains, will allow Russian Railways to serve land International Transport Corridors (ITCs), which is one of the tasks to be implemented in the framework of the federal targeted programme "The Development of Russia's Transport System."
Yakunin also said that Russian Railways was continuing to work with European and Asian companies to attract transit freight to the Trans-Siberian Railway. In particular, a number of agreements have been reached to promote the work of the Trans-Siberian Intermodal Operators Association of Japan, the Korean Association of International Freight Forwarders and the Union of European Trans-Siberian Operators and Forwarders in order to attract additional freight volumes to the Trans-Siberian Railway from Japan and the Republic of Korea to Europe and vice versa.
Transportation conditions on the Trans-Siberian Railway have been optimised and work is being done to phase out speed limits at stations and sidings.
"The average time on the Trans-Siberian is less than 8 days and the route speed is about 1,200 km/day. But we are not satisfied with this and are constantly improving our service and increasing the efficiency of the transportation process. We are now working hard on organising freight transportation strictly according to the timetable on Euroasian routes," said Vladimir Yakunin.