Belarusian and Moscow Railways discuss development of passenger and freight transportation

A working meeting of delegations of the Belarusian and Moscow railways was held in Smolensk. The participants discussed the prospects for the development of passenger and cargo transportation, improving the quality of passenger service, as well as technological interaction between roads. This is reported in the telegram channel BZD, writes sb.by.

Delegations from the Belarusian Railway were headed by Valery Verenich, the head of the Belarusian Railway State Association, and Pavel Ivanov, the head of the Moscow Railway.

In his welcoming speech, Pavel Ivanov thanked his colleagues for the meeting and stressed the importance of partnership relations between the Moscow and Belarusian railways, which allow developing and increasing transportation and contribute to strengthening interstate relations. “Our meeting is taking place at a momentous time. Six months ago, we launched non-stop cross-border commuter trains from Smolensk to Vitebsk and Orsha. The results exceeded all expectations for passenger traffic by almost 3 times. Obviously, this message needs to be developed. We also note the growth of freight traffic between our countries. Today we have gathered to find a solution to the urgent issues in our joint work, he said.

In turn, Valery Verenich expressed gratitude to the Russian railway workers for their cooperation and emphasized: Our priority is passenger transportation between Belarus and Russia, including border traffic. Their demand is confirmed by annual growth. We also aim at the rhythm of the joints for the transfer of freight trains to ensure all applications of shippers for rail transport.”.

The main topic of discussion was the improvement of operational work at interstate docking points. The parties considered the organization of cargo transportation between the two railways, determined plans for further work to ensure unimpeded passage of cargo flows, including transit.

In addition, attention was paid to the development of passenger transportation in interstate and cross-border traffic.

To date, more than 64,000 passengers have been transported in border traffic. There are 15 pairs of trains running between Moscow and Belarus, 11 of which are in regular service.