OREANDA-NEWS. On July 21, 2008 Boris Lapidus, Senior Vice-President at Russian Railways, has been elected President of the Council of the Combined Rail-Car Passenger & Cargo Ferry between Ust-Luga - Baltiysk – Sassnitz, reported the press-centre of Russian Railways.

A meeting on the development of the rail-ferry service between Russia and Germany ended in Kaliningrad today.

The Russian delegation included Alexander Misharin, Russian Deputy Transport Minister, Boris Lapidus, Senior Vice-President of Russian Railways, Ivan Besedin, the Head of Kaliningrad Railways, and Aleksandr Kazantsev, the Head of the Department of Commercial Work in Freight Transportation.

The German side was represented by the Ministry of Transport from the Federal State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Deutsche Bahn, the port of Sassnitz and forwarding companies.

During the meeting, which began in the German port of Sassnitz and then continued in Kaliningrad, the two sides discussed issues related to the prospects for enhancing cooperation in freight and passenger transport using the rail-ferry link between Ust-Luga - Baltiysk - Sassnitz.

In order to achieve a rapid resolution of the issues surrounding their mutual cooperation, the two parties decided to establish a Council of the Combined Rail-Car Passenger & Cargo Ferry Line.

Russian Railways delegated representatives to sit on the Council, including Boris Lapidus, Senior Vice-President of Russian Railways, Ivan Besedin, Head of Kaliningrad Railways, Aleksandr Kazantsev, Head of the Department of Commercial Work in Freight Transportation and Alexander Sapronov, First Deputy Manager Director of the First Freight Company.

The German side will be represented on the Council by Dr. Otto Ebnet, Minister of Transport of the Federal State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a number of people from Deutsche Bahn, the German port of Sassnitz and forwarding companies.

At the suggestion of the parties, the Board will also include representatives from the customs departments of both countries.

Boris Lapidus was unanimously elected as Chairman of the Board and Harm Zivers, Managing Director of Sassnitz Ferry Port, his deputy.

The first working meeting of the Council will be held in August. It will consider concrete plans to expand the freight base and symmetrical cargo loading of the rail-ferry link between Baltiysk - Sassnitz, as well as the prospects for aligning the technical and technological equipment of the two ports.