First Direct Container Train From China To Ukraine Arrives In Kyiv

The Liski branch of the Ukrainian Railways joint-stock company (Ukrzaliznytsia) received the first direct container train from China on June 8.

Roman Veprytskyi, an acting member of Ukrzaliznytsia’s board, announced this in a statement, the CFTS portal reports.

"The distinguishing aspect of this train is that the goods on it were delivered from the northern regions of China, from where it is difficult to transport goods by sea due to its distance from China's seaports. Regular operation of these trains is being planned. The next trains on this route are scheduled for June 16 and 26," Veprytskyi said. According to him, the train covered the distance of 7,649 kilometers in 10 days and 5.5 hours (according to Ukrzaliznytsia, the train transported the goods from the Zamyn-Uud train station on the Mongolian-Chinese border). According to information previously published on Facebook, the train departed from the starting station in China on May 24, which means that its total travel time was 15 days.

The first train delivered cargoes of various types of goods – from drilling equipment to a CT scanner– to Ukraine.

According to Ukrzaliznytsia’s acting Board Chairman Ivan Yurik, the train consisted of 31 platforms with 41 forty-foot containers. The distance that the train traveled from the initial to final station is 9,000 kilometers.

According to Veprytskyi, the process of setting up domestic logistics for moving the containers within Ukraine and loading goods onto the container train for its journey in the opposite direction is currently underway.

"Organization of container trains to the Liski branches in Kharkiv and Dnipro is planned for the future," he said.

As reported, 41 container trains had passed through Ukraine as of the end of February this year, including 32 regular trains. Twenty-six new container trains were operated in 2019.

For the first time, a container train from China to the European Union traveled on transit through Ukraine without requiring transfer from the broad gauge to the European gauge on Ukraine’s western border in January.