Belarusian Railways to discuss passenger traffic development with Europe

MINSK, 12 June (BelTA) – A delegation of the Belarusian Railways is expected to take part in a plenary meeting of the ordinary session of the Ministers of the Organization for Cooperation of Railways (OSShD) that is due in Tallinn, Estonia on 13-14 June, BelTA learnt from the press service of the Belarusian Railways.

“Cooperation with the European countries is one of the issues related to the development of passenger traffic, which is addressed by the Belarusian Railways with the participation of the Organization for Cooperation of Railways,” the specialists said.

On the whole, the participants of the meeting are expected to consider more than ten issues. They will listen to the reports on the OSShD activity, confirm the organization’s action plan for 2014 and subsequent years. The participants of the meeting will also sign a memorandum of cooperation in technical, operational and commercial development of OSShD railway corridors.

Experts of the Belarusian Railways take an active part in the work of the OSShD permanent commissions while its management – in the meetings of the ministers and sessions of the Confederation of the Directors General of the Railways. The activity of the Belarusian Railways is aimed at strengthening its position on the global market of transport services.

Specialists name restoration of the international route Minsk-Riga in 2011 among the recent achievements in international cooperation. Jointly with Lithuanian counterparts the Belarusian Railways is implementing the project related to the organization of high-speed railway passenger communication between Minsk and Vilnius, which is to reduce journey time from four to two hours.

International rail services in Belarus are provided through 13 railway border checkpoints. Close attention is attached to the creation of favorable conditions for the transport logistics development and an increase in transit hauls. The Belarusian Railways, in close cooperation with the OSShD, has developed a unified invoice allowing handling transportation on the whole route with the need for reissuance.

The document of the kind is used today for the majority of container transportations via the Brest-Terespol checkpoint. One invoice is used by trains plying in Belarus and Russia as well as other OSShD member states. The project is joined by forwarders from Western Europe, Kazakhstan and Mongolia.

The Organization for Cooperation of Railways is an international organization founded in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1956 at the conference of ministers managing railway transport. OSShD as an intergovernmental organization includes 27 member countries. The Belarusian Railways joined the organization in 1992.

The main objective of the OSShD is its program for perfecting railway links between Europe and Asia.