The Ukrainian Railways joint-stock company (Ukrzaliznytsia) and DHL Global Forwarding will jointly develop container rail transportation on the China-Europe route. The companies plan to introduce new international routes for such container rail transportation.
Ukrzaliznytsia announced this in a statement, the CFTS portal reports.
As reported previously, Ukrzaliznytsia signed a memorandum of understanding and cooperation with DHL Global Forwarding in November last year.
"According to the document, Ukrzaliznytsia and DHL will organize container trains, attract additional cargoes, and broaden the geography of transportation of cargoes," Ukrzaliznytsia’s Board Chairman Volodymyr Zhmak announced at the time. In addition, according to Zhmak, a powerful logistics center for DHL Global Forwarding’s cargo will be opened at Ukrzaliznytsia’s Liski Transport Logistics Center (Liski TLC) in Kyiv.
Earlier, Ukrzaliznytsia announced in a statement that the agreement with DHL provided for transportation of containerized cargo throughout Ukraine together with provision of a range of turnkey services at Liski TLC’s terminals.
"Further to China’s newly-established position as Ukraine’s top trading partner, recent reports have revealed Ukraine’s plans to start negotiations on a free trade agreement with China. I am convinced that this partnership to create rail connectivity will expand trade flows between businesses in Asia and Europe when it comes into fruition and in turn, contribute toward the deepening of trade ties between the two countries," DHL Global Forwarding Greater China’s CEO Steve Huang is quoted as saying in the Logistics Manager publication.
“This collaboration is the mark of a momentous milestone for the China-Ukraine rail corridor. We look forward to working with DHL and Ukrainian Railways to develop and speed up containerized rail freight between China and Europe, particularly Eastern Europe, and the inter-regional trade opportunities that this will bring businesses in Ukraine and our neighbors," the publication quoted Liski Transport Logistics Center’s Executive Director Edwin Berzins as saying.
As reported, direct container trains from China began arriving in Ukraine for the first time in 2020. In total, 22 of them were received by the end of the year.
