October 1 a new transport and logistics center was inaugurated at the rail station of Chernyakhovsk in Kaliningrad region. The new Vostok – Zapad (East – West) logistics center is located near the Zheleznodorozhny-Skandawa rail crossing on the Russian-Polish border.
The logistics center will handle export, import and transit containers from/to Asia to/from Europe. In future, it is expected to become one of the key hubs on the New Silk Route.
The Vostok – Zapad logistics center will transfer containers from the Russian standard 1520 mm gauge onto the European 1435 mm gauge for transportation to the destination in Europe.
The terminal is equipped with a large gantry crane capable to handle containers on four rail tracks. The annual capacity of the terminal is 450,000 TEU.
The terminal will start handling the transit rail service between China and Europe operated by UTLC ERA, the regular block trains to the Moscow-based Bely Rast terminal, and the block trains delivering car parts for the Kaliningrad-based Avtotor.
The Vostok – Zapad terminal is operated by a joint venture between Russian Railways and Novik Group.