MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th June, 2020) Russia's state-run railroad company Russian Railways has launched the first dedicated postal freight container train service from China to Europe amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a representative of the company told Sputnik.
Since April, 17 such trains have traveled from China to Europe using the Russian Railways network, and at present, two more trains are on their way to France, Spain, and other European countries. The bulk of the trains set off from the Chinese cities of Chongqing, Yiwu, Zhengzhou, and Dongguan, the representative said.
A new service has also been launched from Scandinavia to China, the representative said.
"The length of the route from a Swedish port to China is about 15 days, compared to 60 days by sea. Freight trains will be sent weekly, forming a pair that travel in opposite directions," the representative stated.
The company also plans to develop postal freight services through the Russian port city of Kaliningrad. In March, a planned container service was established that will travel from the Chinese city of Xian to Kaliningrad, and onward to the German cities of Rostock and Duisburg.�
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed severe limitations on air travel, prompting countries to look for other means of delivering vital goods to maintain supply chains.
