OREANDA-NEWS. In Sofia city, the capital of Bulgaria, a conference regarding “Viking”container train project was held with representatives of the railway administrations of Belarus, Lithuania, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania.

An important outcome of the meeting was the joining of the Romanian railway company JSC “CFR Marfa” in the project. The “Rofersped” company will be the operator of the “Viking” train in Romania.

Furthermore, the conference participants confirmed a further development plan for the “Viking train for 2014-2015. They coordinated a new overland route to Turkey through the territory of Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania and Bulgaria made alterations to trains plying technology.

Joining of the Romanian railway company provides opportunities for further development of the “Viking” train based on creating an over land route to Turkey as part of the project, it strengthens its competitiveness and will be strategically important for the transportation of goods between Turkey and Scandinavia.

The “Viking” container train is a joint project of the railways of Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria, Romania which connects the Baltic Sea and Black Sea.

All project participants are planning the realization of the pilot train passing along the new route, from Lithuania through Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania to Turkey and back in the third quarter of this year.

The first intermodal service train “Viking was dispatched on February 6, 2003 from Odessa.

The primary purpose of the “Viking” train project was an extension of the transcontinental communications of the Scandinavian countries and the Black Sea countries using the international transport corridor IX.

For more than ten years the project has already been successful and well known. The train runs on a regular basis. Amongst others, it includes dangerous goods being transported not only to the countries who's railways are involved in the project, but also to other countries of the Baltic and Black Seas, Africa, America, the Middle East and Asia. The train includes platforms with high-capacity containers, specialized platforms for trucks and trailers, passenger cars for drivers and consignors.

The official train forwarder within the territory of Belarus is the stateenterprise “BELINTERTRANS - transport and logistics center” of the Belarusian Railway.

It should be emphasized that special tariff rates are provided by the railways along the entire route and a high-speed delivery is ensured.

The train contains is mainly export-import cargoes of Belarusian enterprises, such as RUE “Minsky Tractorny Zavod” (Minsk Tractor Works), JSC “Grodno Azot”, JSC “Naftan” “Polymir” Plant, RUE “ Minsky Automobilny Zavod “ (Minsk Automobile Plant) and many others.

During the first 4 months of 2014, more than 13 000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent) containers have been carried by the train per Belarusian railway containing mainly export-import cargoes of Belarusian enterprises RUE “Minsk Tractor Plant”, JSC “Grodno Nitrogen”, “Naftan” factory “Polymir”, RUE “Minsk Automobile Plant” and several others.

Currently, all the freight stations of the Belarusian railway are available for handling the “Viking” train.

The association of European intermodal transportations acknowledged the “Viking “ train as the best European project of cargo transportations in 2009.

In order to promote the train within advertising strategy, the trademark “VIKING TRAIN has been established. The project has its own website (www.vikingtrain.com <http://www.vikingtrain.com>) and promo video.

Regular container trains running along a total of 18 routes on the Belarusian railway carried almost 63000 TEA during the period of January-April of this year.