New Container Train To Operate Between Ilyichevsk And Kiev

A new container train named Ilyichevets, which will operate between Ilyichevsk and Kiev, has been presented at the Ilyichevsk merchant seaport, the press service of the port has announced.

The train is a joint project by the Levada Cargo freight forwarding company, the Ilyichevsk Container Terminal, and the Ukrainian state center for transport services Liski. The train will begin operation on July 24.

The new container train consists of 33 pieces of 80-foot platforms. The rolling stock, the automobile fleet, and terminal facilities for the project were provided by Liski. The operator of the train is Levada Cargo.

"The operator will bear all the administrative and financial risks, and it will be responsible with its own funds for the quality of rail transport," said Levada Cargo’s General Director Olena Borysova.

According to Borysova, the selection of the train’s departure point was determined by the capacity of the Ilyichevsk port, which is one of the highest in Ukraine.

The Ilyichevets container train will operate strictly according to timetable, regardless of the volume of its load. The train’s timetable is as close as possible to the timetables of shipping lines. The train’s travel time will be 13 hours.

As reported, one of the main advantages of the train is the 15-30% reduction in the cost of cargo delivery on this route, compared with transportation by road. The organizers will provide special conditions for storage of empty containers at the Kiev Liski terminal, with special conditions for shipping lines.

The Ilyichevsk merchant seaport has 29 berths, where bulk liquid cargo, bulk dry cargo, general cargo are transshipped. The port is capable of accommodating ships with cargo capacities of up to 100,000 tons. The seaport has an annual design capacity of more than 30 million tons and an annual container transshipment capacity of 1.15 million TEU. Since 2007, the port has been capable of simultaneously receicing three ocean-going container ships with a capacity of over 5,000 TEU and a length of up to 300 meters.