The 450k TEUs of yearly capacity East-West facility is located in Chernyakhovsk on the junction towards the region's harbours and the border crossing with Poland in Zheleznodorozhny-Skandawa.

The terminal is the effect of cooperation between the Russian Ministry of Transport, Russian Railways, and Kaliningrad's government.

UTLC ERA, a JV between Belarusian, Kazakh and Russian state rail enterprises, plans to use the new facility, initially sending two train pairs per week. The company has already carried out pilot tests.

In Chernyakhovsk, containers can be transhipped from broad- to narrow-gauge trains for entering the EU through Poland.

According to UTLC ERA, some 8% of all Europe-China train sets went via Kaliningrad last year, a five percentage points increase on the 2019 figure. The company is confident the number will increase as the growing New Silk Road volumes continue to choose the Kaliningrad Oblast as an alternative to the congestion-troubled crossing between Poland and Belarus.

Containers that go via the region can either take the land route to Poland or board a ship.

Photo: UTLC ERA