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Trial train may be launched en route Khasan-Rajin in Oct 2011

In the process of the upgrading works this year, the company plans to install 56 switching points and more than 64 kilometres of rail in station and main lines

MOSCOW, September 9 (Itar-Tass) —— A trial train may be launched en route the trans-border section between Russia’s Khasan and North Korean Rajin in October 2011, President of the Russian Railways (RZD) company Vladimir Yakunin said on Friday during with working visit to the Far Eastern Rail Road.

Currently, Russia’s railwaymen fulfil the project aimed at the upgrading of this section, which envisages improvement of the existing line, construction of a cargo terminal in the Rajin seaport and further use of this infrastructure for transit cargo carriages through the Trans-Siberian Railway.

“The project is aimed not only at the reconstruction of the railway sector, but also to fill the Rajin seaport with cargo,” Yakunin said, adding that now his company considers the coal transportation issue.

In the process of the upgrading works this year, the company plans to install 56 switching points and more than 64 kilometres of rail in station and main lines.

“Up to day, 36 switching points have been installed, 14.6 kilometres of station rail lines and six kilometres of main railway have been repaired,” the RZD official said.

Simultaneously, the company is building seven railway structures. For instance, all is ready to repair a tunnel at the Unra station.

The Khasan-Rajin project is considered by the sides as a pilot part of the reconstruction of the entire Trans-Korean Railroad. Now, Russia, North and South Koreas hold consultations on the resumption of trilateral contacts and on the creation of favourable conditions for the implementation of this project.

The State-run Joint Stock Company, Russian Railways, is the world’s second largest network with 85,200 kilometres of track. It carries over 1.1 billion passengers and 1.1 billion tonnes of freight a year across eleven time zones.

RZD is responsible for 43 percent of Russia’s total freight traffic (including pipelines) and more than 41 percent of passenger traffic. The company is a major contributor to the fast-growing Russian economy. Its charter capital exceeds 1,698 billion roubles, which assets are estimated at more than 88 billion U.S. dollars.

RZD is Russia’s fourth largest company by revenues – over 41 billion U.S. dollars in 2008 (according to IFRS). It is one of the country’s most profitable companies, which exceeded 78.5 billion roubles in 2010. It employs over one million people. It comprises 987 enterprises and 165 subsidiaries.

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