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East-West the new Terminal Logistics Center opened in Chernyakhovsk (Kaliningrad region) on October 1. According to Evgeniy Glumov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the East – West TLC, setting up the new railway infrastructure in Chernyakhovsk was decided primarily due to its geographical location. “Trains can depart through Chernyakhovsk towards Poland (through the Zheleznodorozhny / Skandawa border crossing) and Lithuania (through the Kybartai / Chernyshevskoye and Pagegiai / Sovetsk checkpoints),” noted Evgeniy Glumov. “Transit cargoes at Chernyakhovsk station head mainly west Europe bound”.
With the commissioning of the new terminal, the processing capacity of the Chernyakhovsk railway station will amount to 450 thousand TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit) per year.
The main scope of the new TLC is export and import operations, as well as the handling of transit containers on Asia – Europe routes. In particular, the terminal will serve block trains of UTLC ERA on the China – Europe – China corridor. For example, on October 1, the company launched two trains through the East – West container terminal. Each train has a 41-container carrying capacity. In the future, the company intends to organize up to two trains a week through the new terminal.
According to Alexey Grom, CEO of JSC UTLC ERA, the speed factor is of significant importance. It is not the speed of trains that matters but also the decision-making in the management of transit trains, news routes, new technology solutions and new terminals. “In August of this year a Memorandum of Cooperation between UTLC ERA and East – West TLC was signed, and as of today the first pair of container block trains running from China and Europe will be handled at the terminal,” said Alexey Grom at the opening ceremony.
Evgeniy Glumov noted that Kaliningrad Region is one of the most attractive areas logistically in terms of various cargoes. “Today we are interacting with a lot of shippers, in particular, EkoPat, VKZ Alliance 1812, Roden, Stewardt, Baucenter, Interdesign, Sperm Whale, Coca-Cola, Pepsico, Victoria Baltic, Glavtrassa, Trinity, Nissan, CSN, KIA, Nesterov Peat and Agrotimbers,” explained the expert.
As a matter of fact, JSC UTLC ERA has been developing transit cargo through the Kaliningrad Region for several years. “We see strong demand from the Chinese and European cargo owners,” Alexey Grom said. “Three years ago, together with the Governor of the Kaliningrad Region Anton Alikhanov we discussed the possibility of doubling shipment volume. Currently, the volume of UTLC ERA services through the Kaliningrad Region has already increased fourfold. I am sure there will be more business in the China – Europe – China corridor’.
Author Anastasia Baranets