Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28
By Sara Israfilbayova - Trend:
The volume of cargo transportation via the Viking train route is expected to reach 49000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit) in 2019, while in 2018 the indicator was 43233 TEUs, the Lithuanian Railways told Trend.
Further, commenting upon the question on which countries plan to join the project, the company noted that it would be great to see Sweden and Kazakhstan joining the project.
"We are also discussing this possibility with Latvian Latvian Railways (LDz) and Estonian Operail (formerly EVR Cargo)," the Lithuanian Railways added.
Lithuania is implementing the Viking project from 2003. Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania are participants of the project. Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey joined the project later.
Additional cargo flows can be attracted by adding Azerbaijan and Georgia to this train route. Therefore, in May 2016 Azerbaijan has signed a protocol about the joining of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC to the "Viking train" project.
The total length of its Ilyichevsk (Ukraine)-Minsk (Belarus)-Draugiste (Lithuania) route is 1,766 kilometers.
The main freight consists of vehicles and its parts, textile products, metal products, products of the chemical industry.
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