Astana, Kazakhstan, Nov. 28
By Daniar Mukhtarov - Trend:
The formation of the first high-speed block train for the Silk Wind project will start in the summer of 2014, National Secretary of the Intergovernmental Commission of TRACECA in Kazakhstan, Marat Saduov told Trend over the telephone from Tbilisi.
"The first block train will be formed on the route as part of the Silk Wind project next summer if the project partners sign the agreement in Astana by next spring. Much depends on Kazakhstan's railways and on the Chinese direction. Basically, Kazakhstan today is working to attract cargo from China," he said.
According to Saduov, today the size of Silk Wind's through rate which is being discussed between the project participants, is $5,000 per container.
"The issue is that the through rate should be up to $5,000 per container from the Chinese border to Turkey is being discussed. This tariff could be attractive for the Chinese," Saduov said.
The Silk Wind project aims at launching the China-Kazakhstan-Caspian-Caucasus- Turkey-Europe container train. The project was proposed by Kazakhstan under the TRACECA Logistics Processes and Motorways of the Sea project (Logmos).
The scheme proposed by Kazakhstan, suggests that containers from China are delivered by rail to Aktau and from there to Baku by ferry and then on to Georgian ports by rail where they will also be delivered to ports in Turkey or Ukraine by ferries. In the latter case, Silk Wind is being combined with the Lithuanian-Ukrainian transport corridor Viking.