Several China-Russia-Belarus route points congested, delays persist
Border crossings and rail freight terminals on the China-Russia-Belarus route have faced or are beginning to face congestion issues that could cause considerable delays along the Silk Road’s northern passage.Read more
Operail stops transport of Russian and Belarusian goods on 1 January
UPDATEThe Estonian state-owned rail freight company Operail will stop transporting cargo originating from Russia or Belarus per 1 January 2023. It made this decision earlier, in May this year, but a transition period was needed...Read more
China-Belarus freight service shifts to rail
The first train from Xiamen, in the Fujian province in southeastern China, to Minsk, in Belarus, left on Sunday 20 November. With 16 days of transit time over 10,540 kilometres, this new service is expected...Read more
More war equipment on Belarus-Russia trains, this time it’s vehicles
Bealrus and Russia are cooperating once again in transportng military equipment on the rail after they exchanged over 100,000 tonnes of ammunition between February and September. During the month of October, in fact, over 5,200...Read moreEU sanctions on Russia impact Estonia: ‘rail might disappear’
Operail, the Estonian state-owned international transport and logistics company, has halved its freight volumes in the first nine months of 2022. In addition, the decrease in freight volumes has led to the layoff of over...Read more
Rail war: 3,330 ammunition-loaded wagons between Russia-Belarus
Russia and Belarus have exchanged over 100,000 tonnes of ammunition via rail between February and September 2022. The Community of Railway Workers of Belarus’ Telegram channel, belzhd_live provided specific data on the amount of ammunition...Read more
Rail guerrillas in Russia bomb railway section to Belarus
A railway section near Novozybkov, close to the Russian borders with Belarus and Ukraine was damaged by the deployment of explosive devices. The damaged tracks are part of an important line connecting Bryansk, in Russia,...Read more
Where does Kaliningrad traffic stand currently?
UPDATEDevelopments regarding rail freight traffic to and from Kaliningrad via Lithuania peaked during the summer, but the situation has stabilised. In the sanctions’ aftermath, volumes have dropped, payments must be taken care of by customers...Read more
TransContainer links Northern Italy to Russia with frequent service
A new route between Milan’s Melzo intermodal terminal with destinations in Russia commences on 22 September. The service begins with a frequency of one weekly roundtrip. TransContainer Europe is the company behind the new service,...Read morePayments for Kaliningrad rail transit still possible but more complex
UPDATEThe Kaliningrad rail transit series has a new episode. The Financial Crimes Investigation Service (FNTT) scrutinised Lithuania’s payment possibilities with Russian and Belarusian entities, concluding that “each case for mutual services and incoming or outgoing...Read more
Belarus finds new rail routes to export goods amidst sanctions
Belarusian Railways says it has developed a total of 40 new export routes to more than 20 countries, now that sanctions have cut off its traditional routes to the global market. The Transport and Communications...Read more
Belarus hops on Russia-India train with express service to Azerbaijan
Belarusian Railways and Russian Railways have launched an express train from Belarus to Azerbaijan via the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC). Three trains have already departed, with more to come.Read more
Kazakhstan proposes ban of sanctioned goods to Russia and Belarus
Kazakhstan may soon ban shipments of sanctioned goods to Russia and Belarus though its territory. The Ministry of Finance has recently drawn up a directive, targeting goods subject to sanctions by the EU and the...Read more
Russian Railways reduces transit to Poland due to sanctions
Russian Railways will partially suspend the transit of specific products through Belarus on the way to Poland. The company announced concisely a couple of days ago that “shipments of certain goods routed to Poland by...Read moreBelarus agrees to grain corridor to Klaipeda, but on which terms?
Belarus has agreed to allow Ukrainian grain destined for Baltic ports to transit through the country, provided that Belarusian goods are allowed to enter those ports as well. The Belarusian authorities made this announcement on...Read more
From Ukraine to the world through Belarus: a realistic option
A humanitarian corridor through Belarus for the export of grains from Ukraine to Baltic seaports as Klapeida is a realistic option that is currently being discussed, according to Lithuanian Transport and Communications Minister Marius Skuodis....Read more
Latvia terminates rail contract with Belarus for military goods
Latvia has suspended rail transport of military cargo from Belarus to its seaports. This was reported by the Lithuanian news website Delfi. The rail contract with Belarus does no longer comply with the legal norms...Read more
Estonian Railways in need of extra state financial injection
State-owned Estonian Railways (EVR) will need state funding to cover the losses from stopping the transit of Russian cargo. Despite last year’s growth in transported volumes, the company needs to cover 10 million euros of...Read morePotential of Svisloch border point recognised with this new terminal
A new terminal will be constructed at the Svisloch railway station in Belarus, near the border with Poland. The Svisloch/Siemianowka border crossing is one of the four border points between the countries, and an entry...Read more